Waiting in Vain
by Magnolia Lane
Summary: After years of infertility, Ron and Hermione agree to an experimental procedure that allows Ron to carry their child. The consequences of their decision could be the blessing they've been hoping for, or could prove to be fatal.
1. We Are Family

Waiting in Vain

  


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. They belong to the imagination of J. K. Rowling.

  


A/N: This is the sequel to my first fic, "At Last". If you haven't read it first, don't worry. This is a stand-alone story. However, it would make me happy if you read it and especially if you review - constructive criticism always welcome. When last we left our happy couple, they were at their wedding reception. Harry and Ginny were married two months after Ron and Hermione. This story takes place 7 years later. Ron, Harry, and Hermione are 28 years old, and Ginny is 27. As some of you already know, I try to use song titles or lyrics for my stories. The story title is from Waiting in Vain by Bob Marley and the chapter title is from We Are Family by the Pointer Sisters.

  


Summary: Ron and Hermione have a great marriage, satisfying careers, and a beautiful home. But something's missing - children. As the couple deals with the emotional ups and downs of infertility, Ginny comes up with a plan to make their dreams come true. But there is a BIG catch. Contains R/H and H/G

  


Chapter 1: We are Family 

  


Ron Weasley walked into Auror headquarters after a long night of surveillance with his partner Harry Potter. Both men were covered in filth from head to toe and utterly exhausted. But they had gained valuable information during their surveillance mission and needed a debriefing by their boss before they get off duty. They had been partners since they had started their training and continued once they had received their badges, almost 7 years ago. In those seven years, they had risen through the ranks to become the top undercover team in the department. Not that anyone expected any less from the boy-who-lived and his best friend.

  


After their debriefing, their boss, Lieutenant Shanks ordered them off for the next couple of days to recuperate and catch up on much needed sleep. As they made their way to the apparition point on the second floor. Harry turned to his partner. "See you at Molly and Arthur's on Saturday?"

Ron nodded his head. "Yeah, after a couple of days of sleep. We'll need it. The whole family will be there." Harry nodded in response and gave a small laugh. "I think Fred and George's kids are worse then they ever were. If that's possible." Ron smiled, thinking that his brothers were dearly paying for all the pranks they had pulled as kids. "Give Ginny and James a kiss for me." Ginny and Harry, who had been married only a couple of months after Ron and Hermione, had a 3 year old son named James. He had the Weasley trademark red hair and Harry's emerald eyes. Ron's sister Ginny had completed her healer training and was working at St. Mungos in the maternity ward. Harry clapped his partner on the back. "Sure thing. Give Hermione my love. See you Saturday." Both men apparated to their respective houses.

  


Ron opened his eyes when he felt his feet hit solid ground. He was in the home he shared with his beautiful wife. Hermione was a well respected lawyer, working for the Ministry. She was the youngest prosecutor in a century to rise to the position of Chief Prosecutor. She was in the kitchen when she heard a _pop._ "Ron, is that you?"

  


"Hello, darling."

  


"Oh, dear. You are a sight. Are you hungry"

"Starving"

  


"I'll get you something to eat while you get a shower." She placed her hands around his waist while she kissed him, disregarding how dirty she was getting from touching him.

  


"Thank you, love. By the way, Harry said to tell you hello and they'll see us at Mum's on Saturday." Ron said has he began stripping off layers of clothing, heading toward the bathroom.

  


"Oh. OK." Hermione said, her tone losing the sweetness it had just moments before.

  


Ron poked his head out from the bathroom. "Everything alright?'

  


"Fine. I had forgotten about Saturday is all."

  


Ron, comprehension dawning on him, crossed the room and tightly embraced her. "I know it's hard to be around all of the kids, especially," Ron didn't finish his thought.

  


Hermione, wiping away a tear that had escaped, hugged her husband back. "It's fine, really. I love your family. Just being stupid."

  


"Look at me." Ron gently tilted her chin up so that he was looking into her eyes. He could tell how much sadness she carried in her soul. "You are not stupid. I know how you feel because I feel the same way. And I dare any of them to make a comment. So help me.."

  


Hermione placed a finger against his lips to quiet him. "They all mean well. They just don't know what we're going through. I'll tell them when the time is right, when I'm ready."

  


Ron leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Alright, dear. I support you, no matter what you decide. I'd do anything for you. Guess I'd better go get that shower."

  


After his shower, Hermione and Ron sat down to have their first meal together in several days. Their jobs often meant that they were apart. Ron, feeling quite full, could barely keep his eyes open. Hermione led him to their bedroom and laid down with her husband, comforted in his warmth.

  


**********

  


When Saturday afternoon had arrived, Ron and Hermione apparated over to the Burrow for the family get together. The house and yard were overflowing with people and children running around. Molly was in the kitchen, as always, preparing large amounts of food. Arthur was in his shop, showing some of the grandchildren his muggle objects. The only Weasleys missing were Harry, Ginny, and James, and of course Percy and Charlie, who had died in the war.

  


Ron and Hermione strolled out into the yard to join the family, as Molly had refused help in the kitchen. Bill was there with his wife Fleur, and their children Celeste, Charles, and Amanda, who were currently in the shop with their grandfather. Fred and his wife Nicole were there with their two boys Nicholas and Samuel. And of course there were George and Rose with their twins, William and Mary, and their infant Patrick. Nick, Sam, Will, and Mary were by far the most trouble making as well as entertaining children. While Hermione often scoffed at the way the kids acted, Ron found it endlessly enjoyable to see Fred and George chasing the children to stop them from whatever endeavor they had schemed. Ron couldn't help but think that perhaps there was _some_ justice in the world after all.

  


A faint pop was heard, and Ron knew that the Potter's had arrived. Ron and Hermione had come over to greet their favorite family members. Hermione hugged both Harry and Ginny, and picked up her nephew. Hermione twirled with the boy in her arms as he giggled "More, Aunt Hermy". Hermione loved all of her nieces and nephews, but James had a special place in her heart because his parents were her two best friends in the world. 

  


Ron clapped Harry on the back, and gave his sister a huge hug. Ginny hugged him back tightly. "Where have you been? It's been ages since I've seen your face, big brother?"

  


"I've been keeping this one in line," he said, nodding towards Harry. "Besides, it's not as though you haven't been busy yourself at the hospital."

  


"Too right you are. Guess we've been horrible siblings then, eh?" Ginny laughed.

  


"As always." Ron kissed his sister on the top of her head and turned back to watch his wife playing with their nephew. Hermione would make an excellent mother. 

  


Molly Weasley poked her head out from the kitchen doorway. "Oh good. Everyone's here. Time to tuck in. Bill, go tell your father and the children that it's time to eat."

  


A huge table had been prepared in the backyard, as there certainly wasn't enough room in the Burrow for everyone. Conversations were at a minimum as everyone stuffed their mouths. Once everyone had their fill, or over-fill in Ron's case, the table was magically cleared and returned to it's normal size. Everyone sat around, enjoying the summer evening. Hermione had little James sitting on her lap. When the other children got up to play, James ran after them to join in. 

  


"Hermione dear, you are so good with him. When are you two going to have one of your own and give me another grandchild?" Molly, never one for beating around the bush, said what had been on her mind all day.

  


Ron bristled. How dare his mother bring this up now, when they were having such a nice time. He was just about to give her a piece of his mind when he felt Hermione's hand gently rest on his arm. He looked into her face, and saw the sadness that he so often witnessed these days. But unlike the other times, there were no tears staining her face. He knew that she had found the right time to tell the family.

  


Hermione cleared her throat. "Mum, there's something I need to tell you. Ron and I have been trying to conceive." Molly's face beamed, expecting to hear about an impending grandchild. "In fact, we have been trying for a couple of years now. We've seen all the specialists and have had all the tests. The last healer we saw told us that I am unable to carry a child. Too much spell damage. I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but we won't be having any children." Ron was amazed at the strength his wife possessed. He had shed many tears with her, but she had told his entire family without crying this time. He knew that she had accepted this, as wasn't sure if this was a good thing.

  


Ginny was the first to reach Hermione, and enveloped her into her arms. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. Why didn't you come to see me? I see things like this all the time in my practice."

  


"Sorry Ginny. We didn't want anyone in the family to know, not then anyway. I know that you wouldn't have told, but I couldn't face you. Besides, you wouldn't have said anything differently then the last 10 healers. My womb isn't 'viable' apparently. Too much scar damage from all the spells I was hit with during the war."

  


"Please, come and see me next week in my office. Both you and Ron. It would make me feel better to know that I had at least tried something."

  


Hermione sighed. "Ok. It's not like we have anything else to lose."

  


As the Weasley clan closed in on the couple to show their support, Ginny embraced Ron. "Oh Ron. I'm so sorry. I wondered if something like this was going on, but I didn't want to ask. I told Hermione to come to my office next week for an exam. I want you to come as well."

  


Ron paled. "You're not going to, eh, examine me too?" 

  


"Honestly Ron. I'm a healer. And I don't need you to take your clothes off to run a few tests."

  


"Alright, then. What kind of tests?"

  


"Just some standard tests. I just want to make sure the other healers didn't miss anything. It would make me feel better to know that I had done all I could." 

  


"OK, we'll be there. But you won't tell us anything we don't already know."

  


"Perhaps not." Ginny couldn't get Ron's hopes up, but there might be a way for them to have a child, a way no one had thought of before. Ginny was determined not to share this information with them if it wouldn't work. And she wouldn't know this until the test results were back.

  


"Thanks, Gin. You're the best."

  


"And don't you forget it."

  


A/N: Thanks to AnonymousPHancock, BuckNC, LJ Fan, michelleywelley, Line-from Denmark, Weasley, I-love-adam-brody, and Joots who reviewed "At Last" and said they would like a sequel. This is all your fault. Thanks for the reviews, guys. Keep 'um coming. 


	2. Patiently Waiting

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Nor do I pretend to be as good at this as J. K. Rowling. I do this for my own pleasure, and hopefully someone else like myself will enjoy it as well until she gives us Book 6.

Chapter 2: Patiently Waiting

Ron Weasley stepped out into the bright sunlight from the dreariness of the Auror Headquarters building. He shielded his eyes until they could adjust to the onslaught of light streaming in. For a change, Ron was off work at a normal time, well normal for most people. The sun was still shining, and he was going to have dinner with his wife. But first, they were going to meet at his sister Ginny's office for their exam. He was unsure if his sister could be of any help, but it at least felt good to know that their secret was out in the open, and his family supported them fully. 

Ron made it to St. Mungo's in a few minutes. He could have apparated there much quicker, but he wanted to enjoy the warm afternoon air during his walk. Ron loved his job, but it wasn't often that he could enjoy a leisurely afternoon stroll, and he intended on taking full advantage of the opportunity. He amused himself along the way by watching the witches and wizards he passed along the way. People dressed in all manner of clothing, from the very traditional wizards robes to modern muggle clothing. Ron had been counting the number of pregnant women he had seen on this journey. He counted 11 on his 8 minute walk. He wondered if those couples knew how lucky they were and couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Was the whole world pregnant except for them? Very little in life is fair, he lamented.

When the doors of the lift opened onto the obstetrics ward, he immediately recognized a bushy-haired brunette sitting in the waiting room. He made his way over to her and gently kissed the top of her head. She was reading a copy of "Witch Weekly" that had been left in the lounge.

"Hello darling. Have you been waiting long?" 

"Oh, no. Just got here myself actually," she said, smiling at the redhead. "I've already checked in with the mediwitch at the counter. She said Ginny will be with us in a few moments."

"Alright then. Any clue as to what she's looking for?" Ron asked, skeptically.

"Not a one. Probably just wants to make sure nothing was missed."

Before Ron could respond, a thin woman with a long, pointed nose called their name. "Weasley? Are you the Weasleys? Good, follow me." she said as she led them down a corridor to a room at the end of the hallway. "Just wait here. Dr. Potter will be with you momentarily."

The room was well appointed, with two large squashy armchairs that faced an elegant cherry desk. Pictures of babies lined the walls. Some of them were sleeping, while others were crying or cooing within their frames. Hermione smiled and waved at one of the photographic babies, who in turn smiled back and tried to wave by opening a closing a pudgy little fist. 

"Oh Ron. Isn't she darling? What a beautiful baby." Hermione said, beaming.

Ron placed a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders. "She is at that."

A few moments passed before they heard Ginny enter the room. "So sorry about that. Seems that every baby in England wants to be born today. I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here. I know that you've been to many other healers and specialists, and they've told you the same thing. I don't want to try and get your hopes up falsely, but I've done quite a bit of research on infertility and I am aware of some treatments that most healers have never heard of. " Ron reached over and grabbed Hermione's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm going to need to ask you some very personal questions and do a physical exam on you both. I don't want you to feel awkward about this because I'm your sister. If you agree to go ahead with the tests, I'll be your healer and I assure you that anything we reveal here will stay in this room. No one else will know about it unless you tell them. You have my word on that."

Ron looked into his wife's eyes, and knew his answer. "Of course we trust you Gin. Sorry, Doctor Potter. I have a hard time being optimistic since we've heard nothing but bad news. But we trust you with our lives. If you can find anything to give us hope for a child....Well, we'll go through any bloody tests you throw at us. What have we got to lose at this point?" Hermione simply nodded her head in agreement.

Ron was lead into a small examining room and given a cloth gown to donn. After he had shed his clothing and was attired in the gown, the mediwitch assisting him instructed him to drink a blue potion and lie back on the exam table. Immediately after drinking the solution, he felt a little lightheaded and was glad that he was already seated upon the table. He could feel the potion making it's way through his system and felt his stomach becoming warm. He wondered what kind of tests Hermione was having to endure as Dr. Potter entered the room.

"This won't take long, Ron. I'll let you know everything I'm going to do before I do it. First, I'm going to do a general scan of your body to determine your overall health. Then I'll do a more in depth scan of your abdomen and groin. You won't feel anything during this part. Finally, I'll have you drink another potion and do the final test. You may feel a little nauseous after drinking this potion, but I'll give you something for that when we're finished. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Ron leaned back onto the table and tried to relax. 

Dr. Potter waved her wand in a slow, methodical fashion over the length of Ron's body. As she slowly progressed from his head toward his feet, a green glow emanated from the tip of the wand. Once this was completed, she began the scan of his midsection. This time the wand tip glowed a vibrant red, as bright as the setting sun. Just as she had said, Ron had felt nothing during these tests. This wasn't so bad, really. Dr. Potter crossed the room, picked up an eagle-feather quill, and scratched the results down onto a piece of parchment. Ron recognized this quill as the one their brother Bill had given her at Christmas last year. She put the quill down and returned to Ron's side, carrying a vile of foaming pink solution.

"This is the last test. I need you to drink all of this in one swallow. Then we will wait for 10 minutes. If you are feeling ill at the end of the test, I'll give you something for it." She handed the vile to Ron.

"Cheers," Ron said as he brought the potion to his lips. It smelled quite nice actually, a bit like the bubble gum from Honeydukes. He swallowed the potion quickly. The taste was quite nice as well, nothing like the horrible potion he had been expecting. For the first few minutes, it seemed as nothing was happening. But then Ron began to feel a bit queasy. He closed his eyes and hoped it would pass. He still had 5 minutes to go before Ginny would give him an antidote. As the minutes wore on, he felt his stomach turning and his mouth began to water. He hoped that he would be able to keep the potion down for the remainder of the test. He had one minute to go, and he was miserable. 

Dr. Potter could see the discomfort on Ron's face. "Almost there Ron. I've got the counter potion here ready for you." She was holding a container of yellow liquid. Ron clamped a hand over his mouth, afraid to open it in response.

"Time's up. How's your stomach?"

Ron, face a greenish tint, was sweaty and shaking. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Dr. Potter's face dropped. "Really? I didn't expect the reaction to be so strong. Do you think you can take the counter potion?"

Ron could only shake his head. She handed a basin to Ron just in time. As he retched into the bowl, she placed a comforting hand on his back. "There, there. You'll feel better in a moment." Ron could have sworn that he had seen a smile on his sister's face before he had dived into the basin again. 

Once Ron had lost all of the contents of his stomach, Dr. Potter handed him the counter potion. He downed it as quickly as possible, and his stomach immediately relaxed. Why had he been so sick? She had said that it would make him somewhat nauseous, but not violently ill. Did this mean that he had failed the test? Ron was dying to ask her, but didn't want to know if it was bad news. He decided to wait for her to tell him the results.

"When you're feeling up to it, go ahead and get dressed, then meet me in my office. I'll fill you and Hermione in on the results at the same time. I'm sorry you were so ill. I didn't expect you to have such as strong reaction. Are you feeling well now?"

"Yeah, much better. I'm actually quite hungry now."

Ginny laughed. "Some things never change, brother dear. I'll see you shortly."

"Gin, were Hermione's tests as bad as that? Is she alright?" Ron asked, worry evident in his eyes.

"She's quite fine Ron. Nothing as spectacular as your tests, I assure you."

Ron walked back into the office, where he saw his wife seated in one of the armchairs. They asked each other what kind of tests had been performed. Hermione, just as Dr. Potter had said, was not harmed in the least. Although she had an internal exam as well, she did not have to take the potion as Ron had. Dr. Potter entered the office and sank into the chair behind her desk. Ron was unable to read the expression on her face. He had told himself that he would not get his hopes up, but realized at that moment that he had done exactly that. His heart was pounding in his chest and his palms became sweaty. He nervously rubbed them on his pants as he waited for the results. What would they do if there was no hope for them to have a child of their own?

"Ron, Hermione, I have the results of your tests." Ron sought Hermione's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her touch was comforting. " I must say that while some results were quite expected, I am baffled at the results of others. There's no easy way to say this, so I'll jump right into it. I have good news and bad news."

A/N: Aren't I evil? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to find out. Does anyone see what's coming? The chapter title is thanks to 50 Cent. And speaking of thanks, I want to thank the following reviewers:

LJ Fan: Hey there, my sappy friend. Thanks for being my first reviewer. You know, Radio came out last week. Make sure you have a box of tissues when you watch it. My eyes still hurt, and I saw it in the theater! A parallel to friends huh? Ginny did find something, but I can't tell you what it is until Chapter 3. Stay tuned. I love your reviews, even when they do get off topic. Keep um coming, babe.

BuckNC: And I love that you love having me back! I'm honored that this is on your favorite stories list. Hope I don't disappoint.

AnonymousPHancock: Thanks for sticking with me. As for happiness ahead, you'll just have to keep reading (evil grin ). 

Brittney-Btrflies: Thanks so much. Hope you liked At Last. And please, keep reading and reviewing. It makes my day.

procrastinator99: BTW, I love your name. That sums me up as well. I love Cornwell, but the new novel is not my favorite. I lived in Richmond for years, so part of what I like about her books is that Virginia is like another character, one that I know very well. So I feel like one of my favorite characters has been killed off. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy her writing. But would Faulkner have been the same if he set his novels in, say, New England instead of the deep south? My favorite Patricia Cornwell book is The Body Farm.

Tanya J. Potter: Glad you liked it. I tried to update as soon as I could, just for you ;)

michelleywelley: Thank you so much. I was honored that you thought this could be a sequel to your story "There for You". I love it, by the way. Update soon, please. Anyway, stay tuned. Things get more interesting in the next chapter.


	3. Is There Something I Should Know

Chapter 3: Is There Something I Should Know

Disclaimer: I don't own part of Harry Potter. This is for entertainment purposes only and not meant to offend.

"I have some good new, and bad news. Which would you like first?" Dr. Potter said, with a serious expression on her face.

Hermione, always the one to face disappointment head on, said "bad news first".

"Well, it's just as your other healers have said, Hermione. Due to the scar tissue in your womb, there is no way that you'd be able to carry a baby to term. Unfortunately, there is no way to reverse the damage."

Hermione sighed, and turned to Ron, squeezing his hand. "Well then, that's that." Her eyes were misty, but she refused to cry. She had done enough of that lately for a lifetime, thank you very much.

Dr. Potter continued. "Even though your uterus isn't viable, your ovaries are in good condition with many healthy ovum. There's no reason why you wouldn't be able to be a biological mother, even if you can't be the birth mother."

Hermione looked taken aback. "I've done a lot of research on surrogate mothers. The biological mother's eggs are harvested and mixed with the father's sperm and then implanted into the surrogate, who carries the baby to term. But there have been a number of cases where the surrogate becomes attached to the baby and doesn't want to give it up. I don't think I could bear that. Not to mention watch some other woman carry the child that should be growing inside of me." Hermione's eyes were now moist. Damn those tears. "Besides, that's one of the muggle ways of dealing with infertility. I've seen magical and muggle doctors, and they've all told me there was no hope. You said you had good news?" Ron placed a supportive arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Yes, you are quite right. That is an option to muggle women, one not without moral and legal issues of it's own. As you know, I've done extensive research into infertility in witches. While it is rare, it does happen to a number of magical couples, especially since the war. Another lasting effect, courtesy of Voldemort." This time, no one flinched at the sound of the defeated wizard's name. Those days of fearing his name were long since gone, thanks to Harry. "By studying muggle infertility treatments mixed with magical spells and potions, I've believe that I've stumbled upon a way for magical couples to conceive and deliver healthy babies, without the need for a surrogate. But there are risks involved. And as this is an experimental treatment, there is always the possibility that it won't work."

Ron knitted his eyebrows together, as if trying to wrap his mind around what his sister had just said. "I'm sorry, but I'm confused. You said that Hermione can't carry a baby, but that we don't need a surrogate. Who would carry the baby?"

Ginny looked into her brothers eyes and smiled. "You would" Ron's face paled, a look of utter confusion now crossing his visage. "The experimental treatment I've developed would allow the mother and father to conceive a baby and for the father to carry the baby to term. Through a series of potions and charms, the embryo would be implanted into the father's abdomen and the father would be the one pregnant. But as this is still in the experimental stage, I'm not sure how or if it will work in humans. We, I mean to say, my research partner and I have had some success with animals, but we were unsuccessful in locating a suitable human candidate. That is, until now. Do you remember the potion I gave your Ron, the one that made you so ill? That potion tested for certain genetic markers that would make a good male pregnancy candidate. If someone met the minimum criteria, the potion would cause a mild reaction of nausea. Your results were off the chart, Ron. No one has responded like that. Of all the males we tested, you were the only one to even feel slightly sick. All of the successful animal trials have also had a positive result to the potion. I think you are an ideal match. But I'm going to be up-front with you. We don't know what the risks are in humans. This could be very dangerous for you, and it could even be life threatening, Ron. But I will do everything in my power to make it as safe as possible."

Ron's facial expression was blank, as if he was watching a foreign film where everyone was speaking in another language. Hermione rubbed his back and spoke softly in his ear. "Are you alright? Say something." After a few moments, Ron spoke. "I... I don't...no words to describe. Are you sure about this? I mean, you haven't tested anyone. I have so many questions, I don't even know where to begin."

"Why don't I explain the procedure and risks first, and then I can answer any questions you have. First, you would have to take a potion for three months to prepare your body for implantation. This potion would serve to raise your hormonal levels needed to support an embryo as well as form the necessary organs. The side effects of this are moodiness, quick temper, mild abdominal discomfort, backaches, headaches, and food cravings. After the third month, we will be ready to perform the spell which will transfer the embryo to your body. This may or may not work. There is a high risk for miscarriage at this point. If you do become pregnant, you will have all the normal symptoms of pregnancy. However, because of the need for maintaining your hormonal levels, you will need to take another potion daily. You will experience severe morning sickness, which could last throughout your pregnancy due to the hormonal levels needed to sustain a male pregnancy, however it will diminish after your first trimester. Because of this, your appetite will exponentially increase to accommodate the growing fetus and to insure that you receive adequate nutrition. You will likely start showing a bulge immediately and will gain significantly more weight than a pregnant woman. In our animal experiments, the males gained on average 3 times as much weight as the females. If this holds true for humans, you can expect to gain anywhere from 70 - 90 pounds. The male body wasn't exactly designed for having a baby, so you can expect frequent stomach aches as your organs adjust to the growing fetus. The baby would need to be born by C-section, for obvious reasons. And as lovely as all of this sounds, there is a bright side. You will get to experience first hand one of natures miracles - the feeling of your baby moving inside of you. And when you hold him or her for the first time, you'll forget everything you went through to have that little person in your life."

Ron and Hermione seemed to have a million questions to ask Ginny. As they were nearing the end of their questions, Ron asked, "What about my job? I know that I won't be able to go out on missions if I'm gigantic, but what about in the beginning? When would I need to come in out of the field?"

"You will be able to maintain your current activities while taking the preparatory potion for the first three months. But once the embryo is transferred, you will not be able to do anything strenuous, including your undercover work. Which brings me to another point. If you decide to go through with this, I would like to use your pregnancy as a case study. If it succeeds, this could benefit so many couples suffering from the same predicament. You will be the first, Ron. You and Hermione will need to decide if you want to let others know. You have to prepare yourself for the reactions of others. Not everyone will be kind. But you may be surprised at how supportive others will be. I don't expect you two to make a decision today. Go home, discuss it, think about what you would be getting yourselves into, and if you are willing to take the risks."

Hermione and Ron each hugged Ginny, and made an appointment to come and see her in a week to notify her of their decision. 

Over the next few days, they talked of nothing else. Hermione made a list of pros and cons, with the con list now topping 2 feet of parchment. Only one pro was listed "We will have our baby". The decision wasn't made any easier by the fact that Ron loved his job and he loved being Harry's partner. Being pregnant would mean taking a desk job and Harry finding a new partner. Neither of these things particularly appealed to him.

"Hermione, before we go any further, I think we should talk to Harry. After all, this would affect him at work and it would be easier on Ginny if she could at least share this with him. I know that I would hate to have to keep something like this from you, especially if it involved our best friends."

Hermione smiled and placed a hand on Ron's cheek. "I agree, darling. We shouldn't keep this from Harry, of all people. Even if it isn't successful, I would still want him to know."

"I agree. Why don't we go see him and Ginny tomorrow evening." Hermione said, as she gave a reassuring smile to her husband. "Ron, there's something else that we haven't talked about. Ginny said this could be dangerous, even life threatening. What if something happened to you or the baby? I couldn't bear to lose you. If there's a chance that you could die just trying to have our child, then I don't think we should go any further. But this is a decision you have to make. How much of a risk are we willing to take?"

"Darling, I know you're worried. Frankly, so am I. But I'm not scared of dying. I would never want to leave you, but I have a dangerous job, as you are well aware. And I could be hit by a flying rock out of the blue. You never know. But I would gladly give my life if it meant bring our child into the world. Besides, women have doing this since time began. It's always been a risk, childbirth. I'm more worried about the actual pregnancy. Do you think I can handle it?"

"Well, I'm honestly not sure. I've always heard that women can bear pain much better than a man. Guess there's no way of knowing until it happens."

The next evening, the Weasleys paid a visit on the Potters. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were seated in the kitchen, drinking tea. James had been sent off to bed. Harry was the first to broach the subject. "So, you never did tell me Ron. What did Ginny find in those test she ran on you two? I'd ask her, but I know she won't tell me anything. Dead annoying, all this confidentiality mumbo jumbo." Harry said, as he tipped his cup to his lips.

"Well, that's why we're here. Ginny gave us wonderful news. Hermione and I might be able to have a baby after all." Ron said, trying to figure out how exactly to tell his best friend a partner that he might be the one pregnant.

"That's wonderful! Congratulations you two. Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out? I knew my brilliant wife would find something. Hermione, Ginny saved all her old maternity clothes and I'm sure you..." Harry couldn't finish, as Hermione interrupted him.

"Um, Harry, thank you for the offer, but I won't be needing them. Actually, Ginny said there was no hope of me becoming pregnant." Hermione said, softly.

"What? But I thought you said..."

"I'm not finished, mate. Ginny found a way for Hermione and I to conceive a child, but it wouldn't be Hermione carrying the child." Ron said. His jaw was set, awaiting the reaction of his best friend.

"I don't understand. How will you conceive a baby if Hermione can't get pregnant?" Harry said, his face screwed up with confusion.

A/N: I know, it took me a bit longer to get this chapter up, but I rewrote part of it because I didn't like the way it was coming out. I was originally going to have Ron deliver the baby the old fashioned way, but when I thought about what "organs" he would need for that to occur, I kind of grossed myself out. Did anyone see this plot point coming? I know a few of you thought that Ginny would carry the baby for them. While I like the idea, I thought it would be much more interesting to make Ron pregnant. Hope I haven't turned you off the story, but as anyone who has experienced infertility knows (and I am speaking from personal experience here guys), you will do ANYTHING to conceive a child. Don't worry, the story will get a bit lighter in future chapters. And for those of you wondering why I kept referring to Ginny in this chapter and the last as Dr. Potter, I wanted to distinguish her as a professional when dealing with them in the clinic instead of as a sister. And I didn't like the way Healer Potter sounded, as that is the term they used in OotP. 

BuckNC: I know, Dr. Potter is a little hard to get used to. But like I said, I wanted her to be the utmost professional with them. Not 'ickle Ginny'.

AnonymousPHancock (too lazy to log in) - I love the addition to your name. You really should log in. I love reading other people's favorite stories. I've found some really good ones that way. But then I guess you'd have to change your name again, eh?

LJ Fan: Hello, fellow sap-ete. Sorry to make you late for school. But you really need to get your priorities straight. What's more important than reading my little fanfic? LOL. Did you ever see Radio? BTW, I saw 50 First Dates, and didn't cry once. 

Fredngeorgegirl: Glad you liked it. Yeah, it's sad that they haven't been able to have kids. But hopefully that will all change very soon.

Michelleywelley: Ron, alas, has a weak stomach it seems. He is sick a lot, isn't he? Guess morning sickness, if they decide to go through with it, won't be kind to him. (Evil grin). BTW, loving your story!

Brittney-Btrflies: Yes, I am quite mean. In fact, in some circles, I am known as the Root of All Evil. But you can call me RAE.

Marn: Even though you said you hate cliffhangers, it got you to send me a review, now didn't it? Come on, you know you like it.


	4. I Feel Fine

Chapter 4: I Feel Fine

Ron felt sympathy for his longtime friend. If the situation were reversed, he would want to be told the straight truth. He always hated it when other people danced around and didn't come right out and say what they meant. So he decided to be blunt. "Not Hermione, mate. Me. I'm going to be the one up the duff. Ginny's found a way for _me_ to carry the baby."

Harry's face paled and his mouth moved, but no sound came out. Ginny took the opportunity to fill Harry in on a few of the details. After several minutes and cups of tea, Harry's power of speech returned. "I don't know what to say. I certainly never expected this."

"Harry, I know it's unconventional, but it's the only way we can have our own family. Wizards don't generally give up their children for adoption, and any chance of my carrying a baby to term is gone. This really is our last resort," Hermione said, matter of factly.

"There's more. This means that I'll have to be on desk duty for a bit. Can't go undercover with a bun in the oven. You'll have a new partner, at least for nine months. I need to know that you'll be OK with this." Ron stated, hopeful that Harry would support them.

"I know how much this means to you. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say that I'm not looking forward to working with a new partner. But it's only temporary right? I mean, you'll be back once the baby is born, right?"

Ron wasn't sure if he should mention the possible side effects, or that he could die giving birth. In the end, he thought that Harry had dealt with enough for one night. "Yeah mate, I'll be back in fighting form. That is, once I regain my girlish figure."

Harry just rolled his eyes at Ron. He looked at the couple seriously. "I wish you both the best. I hope with all my being that this works. You're in the best hands possible." Harry placed his arm around Ginny and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"So does this mean that you two have decided to go through with the procedure?" Ginny asked, already knowing the answer.

Ron looked across the table to his wife and placed his hand over hers. They gave each other a smile, knowing that they had reached the same conclusion. Hermione was beaming. Ron spoke for both of them. "Yeah, we want to do it. When can we get started?"

"I'd like to get started as soon as possible. You will need to take the hormonal potion for three months before we can move onto the next phase. Why don't you come in on Monday, and we can get you started. Have you thought about whether you will be discussing your pregnancy openly or whether you would like to keep it private?" Ginny asked.

Ron had thought a great deal about it. He didn't mind being a part of Ginny's research but letting the whole world know? He didn't want to be the freak of the week. "I would rather keep it private. I don't want the be the subject of Rita Skeeter's next expose. I haven't figured out how to explain my weight gain or where our baby came from yet, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it. I would prefer that only family and close friends know the truth. Now, on to the important issue of the day. What's to eat? I'm starved."

"I can always count on you to speak with your stomach, Ron," Ginny laughed.

"Just wait till I'm pregnant and craving all kinds of things. I may eat you out of house and home." Ron realized he fully expected this to work. He would be pregnant. This would definitely take some getting used to.

"Oh, I can hardly wait brother dear. Mum will be through the roof. She can fawn all over you, and prepare your favorite meals like she used to. By the way, when do you want to break it to the rest of the family?"

"Well, might as well get it over with sooner rather than later. I can hear the teasing from Fred and George already."

"Not if I have anything to say about it", Ginny said, frowning. "Let me hear one sarcastic remark, and I'll remind them of why they feared my bat bogey hexes when we were growing up."

"Yeah, she can be a little scary when her dander's up. Ouch!" Harry said, rubbing his arm where Ginny had just punched him.

"Yeah? You'd do well to remember that as well Harry Potter," Ginny warned. She was indeed a force to be reckoned with. Harry of all people knew that.

Ron realized how much his sister meant to him. Not only was she the reason that they had any hope of having a child, but here she was saying she was going to hex her own brothers if they teased him. She really was remarkable. "Gin, thank you for everything. We didn't think that we'd ever have a child. Even if it doesn't work, you've at least given us hope. That's more than anyone has given us. I don't know how to thank you for that."

Ginny stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into her embrace. "I love you guys. I don't know anyone who deserves children more than you. You'll make excellent parents. And I'd do anything in the world to make that happen."

Ron returned her bear hug. "I love you too, Gin. Who else would I let marry my best friend?"

Ginny released her brother to swat him on the back of the head, crossing over to Hermione to embrace her in a hug as Harry and Ron came face to face.

"Have faith, Ron. This is going to work. I have a good feeling about it." Harry said, with a grin on his face, as he clapped Ron on the shoulder.

"Oh yeah? You been using Trelawny's crystal ball again?" Ron said, trying to keep a straight face.

"No, I just married the most brilliant healer there is. If anyone can make it happen, she can."

"Yeah, I know. She turned out alright. Must be the influence of her older, wiser brother Ron."

The friends spent the rest of the evening playing exploding snap, something they hadn't done since their days at Hogworts, laughing, and drinking butter beer. Hermione, bringing Ron another butter beer (he had long ago lost count of how many he had), said to her slightly tipsy husband, "You'd better enjoy these now. After tonight, you won't be drinking for over a year."

Ron laughed, looked at Harry, and said "Well then, we'd better get out the firewiskey and do this right. I think I need to get throughly pissed."

Harry heartily agreed with Ron, and returned with a full bottle of firewiskey and 4 glasses. "Would you ladies care to join us in the debauchery?"

Hermione smiled, knowing that she would have to see to it that her drunk husband returned home in one piece, declined. Ginny too declined, as she would have to work the next morning. Not to mention that one of them needed to be sober if little James woke up in the middle of the night. That left Ron and Harry the duty to empty the bottle on their own. And they made good work of it. After half an hour, they were throughly plastered. Harry stood up, staggered a little, and raised his glass to his best friends. "I'd like to po, pro, oh hell. I want to make a toast. To the best friends a bloke could have. Even though you're leaven me to get preggers. You know, its gonna be funny watchin' ya get fat, Ron."

Ron gave Harry a lopsided grin, and slurred "Yeah, I'm gonna be big as a house. I'll be lucky to raise my fat arse off the couch in a couple a months. 

Harry added, "You know, Ginny looked like she was nine months gone after only a couple a months. Bet you get twice as big as she was."

Ginny scowled at her husband. Drunkenness was no excuse for being an insensitive prat. She had been quite self conscious about her weight when pregnant. Oh, she would make him pay in the morning when he wanted his sobering potion.

Ron had to come to his sister's defense. "That wasn't very nice mate. Ginny was beautiful pregnant. All women are beautiful when pregnant. Hey, I wonder what that'll make me?" Ron collapsed into fits of laughter.

Hermione scowled at her husband. How insensitive could he be? She couldn't become pregnant and here he was going on about beautiful pregnant women. She had come to terms with her own infertility, but that was still hurtful. Oh, she would make him pay in the morning when he wanted his sobering potion.

The men however, were oblivious that they had offended their mates and were throughly enjoying their inebriated states. 

"Hey Harry. When I close my eyes, the whole room spins."

"Hey, you're right. This is pretty cool."

A soft growling noise could be heard from the couch. Harry looked over at Ron and realized he had passed out and was now snoring. He didn't have long to ponder this as he soon nodded off himself, sprawled on the floor next to an empty bottle of firewiskey

A/N: Sorry this has been so long in coming. Life has gotten out of control lately, and I'm just getting back on my feet. I've been extremely busy with work, and just haven't had the time to write like I've wanted to. I like to live on the light side of life and try to find humor wherever I can. However, life just sometimes isn't funny. A very close friend of mine recently became unexpectedly, critically ill. We are waiting and praying that she makes it through. When things like this hit out of the blue, it makes you remember what is most important in your life, and all life's petty things slip away. Make sure you give your friends and family a big hug for me and tell them how much they mean to you. And laugh as much as you can. 

michelleywelley: You made me smile when I read your review. I can just picture you snorting while reading it. Thank you for the kind words. We are still dealing with the infertility thing, but I'm a firm believer in things happen for a reason. I prefer to focus on the good things in my life and not what I don't have. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and hope to hear from you soon. I've got your story saved on my e-mail and when I get a chance, I want to read everything I've missed. I'll review soon, I promise!

AnonymousPHancock: You logged on just for me! I am so honored. And I did look at your favorite stories and saw that the Book of Morgan LeFey was there. I love that story. Are you reading the sequel The Final Reckoning? It's fantastic!

procrastinator: Thank you. I hope you liked this one as well.

LJ Fan: Hello again, my friend. I've been away far too long. I can always count on you for the worlds longest reviews though! You know, I'm usually disappointed in mpreg stories as well and I've thought long and hard about whether I wanted to do this story or not. I've decided I'm not even listing in the summary that it's mpreg, with all that implies. I don't want it to be the main focus. It's more about their relationship and how infertility affects them. My husband and I actually talked about this subject and what if men could get pregnant and what that would mean for couples who were otherwise infertile. So even though I'm writing a story that includes mpreg, it's not really an mpreg story. Does that make sense or am I rambling again? LOL

Strayc@t: Wow, thank you so much! I can't tell you how honored I am that you enjoyed it enough to put this and At Last on your favorites list! You made my day! I hope that you continue to enjoy the story as much. I feel like I have a lot to live up to now :)


	5. Drunken Lullabies

Chapter 5: Drunken Lullabies

Light was streaming through the windows of the living room, illuminating the remnants of the previous night. On the couch, Ron Weasley lay with one leg hanging off, and one arm covering his eyes. Despite this protective covering, the cruel sun had managed to infiltrate and he was now faced with the prospect of dealing with a serious hangover. When he did manage to open his eyes, he found he was correct in his assumption. His tongue felt like it was wearing a particularly furry coat, his head was threatening to cleave in two, and his stomach was disagreeing with him to the point of threatening to show him exactly what he had consumed last night to put him in this state. He wondered why he and Harry had thought this was a good idea. His only saving grace would be Hermione and her ability to brew a perfect sobering potion. He thanked his lucky stars that he had married such a smart and wonderful woman

The sound of movement coming from the floor forced Ron to painfully turn his head. Harry was sprawled on the floor, neck turned at an odd angle, and now he too had unwillingly returned to consciousness. By the looks of him, Harry appeared about as bad as Ron felt. Harry sat up, holding his head in his hands and groaned. "What were we thinking? We can't drink like we're 18 anymore."

"I know, mate. Now I remember why we stopped. Bloody Hell." Ron rubbed his temples so furiously, that Harry wondered if he would rub the freckles off. Ron noticed that the clock on the wall read 10:20 and the house was quiet.

"Wonder where the girls and James are?" Harry looked toward the door and noticed Ginny and Hermione's wands were gone.

"Don't know. Must have gone out to do some shopping. Maybe they left sobering potions in the kitchen." Both Ginny and Hermione made excellent sobering potions, no doubt due to their constant practice on Ron and Harry a few years back. Ginny especially was quite good, having grown up in a house full of pub-crawling brothers. Harry and Ron made their way to the kitchen and noticed, to their dismay that no potions were there.

"I don't see anything. Perhaps they forgot before they left." The note of disappointment was evident in Ron's voice.

"Uh oh. I don't think they 'forgot'. They've left us a note. Apparently we acted like a couple of arses last night." Harry picked up the parchment and began to read aloud.

_Harry and Ron – _

_We decided it would be best if we left the house with James before you awoke in order to avoid cursing you. The things you said to us last night were mean and hurtful and we don't much feel like forgiving you yet. Your drunkenness is no excuse for being such insensitive prats. As I'm sure you've both noticed, we did not brew the sobering potion for you. Since you clearly enjoyed getting yourselves into that state last night and hurt us in the process, it's only fair that you suffer the consequences of your actions. Hope it was worth it. Do not look for us before this evening, as we will be out all day. You might want to fix yourselves something to eat as well to soak up all of that alcohol in your systems. Perhaps you will think twice before doing this again. _

_Ginny and Hermione_

If it was possible to feel any worse at this point, Ron and Harry did. "I think we'd better be on our best behavior and be prepared to do some groveling. The girls are pissed. And you know what it's like to get a Weasley woman angry." Harry said, as they both gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of incurring the wrath of their wives.

"I'll make a hangover cure Seamus told me about and then we can start cleaning up that living room." Ron remembered when Seamus, famous for his drinking, told him of his foolproof hangover cure. Ron remembered being a bit disgusted when he mentioned all the ingredients and thinking that he would never need it, but was thankful now that he had remembered it. He set about gathering the ingredients he would need and a few minutes later set glasses down in front of Harry and himself of the Irishman's Friend, as Seamus himself had called it. Harry eyed it suspiciously, especially the strange pinkish color.

"What's in it?" Harry asked, with his face screwed up in disgust.

"You don't want to know, mate. Just drink it down as fast as you can." Ron replied, and took a large gulp of his own. When both glasses were empty, the two men looked into each other's faces and knew they were thinking the same thing.

"That was by far the most disgusting thing I've ever had." Harry stated, his face now a pale shade of green.

Ron had to agree with him. "That bloody Irishman. Must be barking mad to drink that slop on a regular basis."

"What was that?" Harry wondered, now holding his head with one hand and his stomach with the other.

Ron mentally went over the list of ingredients again. He was sure he had added everything just as Seamus had said. "I know I brewed it right. Lets see, I added the orange juice, raw egg, banana, tripe, and hot sauce and blended it until smooth. I know it sounds like an odd combination, but I'm telling you he swears by it."

Any color that had remained in Harry's face was now drained away. "I think I'm gonna be sick." Harry clamped a hand over his mouth and ran for the bathroom.

Ron, while not feeling particularly good, noticed that the strange brew had somehow settled his stomach a little and the pounding in his head was quieting. Ron thought to himself, 'Maybe Seamus wasn't so far off track. I think it's working.' Once Harry had appeared again, also looking a little better, they decided they would take Seamus out for a pint to thank him. Maybe sometime _next year_. They got to work cleaning up the house and starting dinner, not wanting to irritate their wives any further. They knew they would have to do a lot of work to apologize to the girls and to prove just how sorry they were for their behavior.

The following week, Ron and Hermione had informed Ginny of their decision to go through with the procedure. However, they had not yet decided whether they wanted to tell the rest of the world what they were doing. "Well, immediate family already knows and your boss should know, Ron. After all, you won't be able to work in the field if you do get pregnant." Hermione logically concluded.

"I know, but what about everybody else? Do we really want the whole world knowing our private business?" Ron didn't fancy being the butt of every joke for the next couple of years.

"We'll come up with a pros and cons list, maybe that will help make our decision." Hermione pulled out a roll of parchment and began writing. They both thought of good reasons to share the news.

_Reasons why we should tell everyone about Ron's pregnancy_

_ Easy to explain why Ron can't work in the field as an Auror for 9 months_

_ Ron's stomach will give it away eventually_

_ We have nothing to be ashamed of_

_ Our experiences may help other couples dealing with infertility_

_ Ginny's research can get the recognition it deserves_

_ Everyone can be as excited about the baby as we are_

Once that list was finished, they began to think about the negative consequences of everyone knowing.

_Reasons why we should keep Ron's pregnancy a secret_

___ All of our most private information will be broadcast around the wizarding world._

_ The media will have a field day, following us all around._

_ Some people will be openly cruel_

_ Kids may tease our future child when they get older for having Dad be the Mum_

_ Ron may not be able to go back undercover once everyone has seen his face._

Once they looked at the two lists, they both saw that the only reasons for keeping the news a secret was for their own privacy and to protect the child from bullies. They found these reasons to be a little too selfish for their tastes. "If we can help other childless couples out there by doing this, wouldn't it be worth it? Ginny has worked so hard, and I would love to see her research published if this works. And besides, we can't protect our children from everything. We just have to help them become the best person they can be, show them that they're loved, and teach them right from wrong. Bullies will always be around, and they will find something to pick on anyway. I think we should let the world know, Ron."

"I agree with you. But the media is going to be a problem. They will surround us all the time. You saw what it was like with Harry. And what about my job? My position could be compromised. What if they fire me all together?" Ron really hadn't considered this possibility before.

"Do you really want to be away all the time once we have the baby? Do you want to constantly be in danger knowing that you have a child depending on you? We've talked about your job before, and you had always said that you could take a desk job so that you would have some stability for a family. Besides, if you want to remain an Auror, you could always use concealment and glamour charms like Harry does so that you won't be recognized."

"I know you're right. It just seems so…I don't know, final somehow. Like it's finally real."

Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder, giving him a gentle hug. "I know, darling. I don't dare get my hopes up too high, but I have a good feeling about this. We very well could be parents this time next year." Hermione closed her eyes and thought of the child she had always imagined she and Ron would have. It was a boy with flaming red hair and blue eyes, just like his father. An he would have her love of learning and books, but not be bookish. He would be well rounded. As her mind drifted off in her daydreams, an idea came to her. "I have an idea about how to deal with the media. They say the best defense is a strong offense. Once we find out if we're pregnant, then we go to the Daily Profit and give them the exclusive story, with the condition that we control what information is released. If they try to hound us or use questionable means to get information, then we stop talking to them. It's to their advantage to keep us happy so they get their story."

Ron was always amazed at the way Hermione's mind worked. "Have I told you lately that you are the most brilliant witch I have ever met? You are amazing, Mrs. Weasley."

"I must be pretty bright to have picked a bloke like you, Mr. Weasley," Hermione gloated.

"That's enough talking for tonight," and with all the grace of a lion hunting it's prey, Ron captured Hermione's lips with his own and passionately kissed her. They spent the rest of the evening in their bedroom with the door shut and a silencing charm placed on the room in case anyone in their family decided to drop by unannounced.

A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. My hard drive crashed and I lost everything, including everything I had written up until now. The delay wasn't all for bad reasons (although the computer crash was a major blow) – I just got back from vacation in Las Vegas, WOO HOO! We had such a blast. This story is now going to be published on Checkmated.com as well. The first chapter is up already, and has gotten a warm reception there. Fanfic readers are the best! And I want to thank all of you who sent your thoughts out to my friend who was in critical condition. She is going to make almost a full recovery! Life has been pretty good to me lately.

A/N 2: I realize this chapter doesn't really expand the plot, but I had fun writing it. Trust me, we're going to get down to the nitty gritty in the next chapter. And for anyone that's interested, the title Drunken Lullabies comes from the song by Flogging Molly, an outstanding Irish Punk band. Check them out.

Iced1: Glad I could make you laugh. Thanks for reviewing.

AnonymousPHancock: Sorry this took so long. Don't shoot me! I promise I'll try to be quicker, but I can't guarantee anything until July. I'll do my best.

Procrastinator: Thank you for your kind words. My friend is doing so much better. And yes, men can be pigs when they're drunk. But so can we all!

Michelleywelley: I hope your friend is doing better as well. It's always a little scary to be around someone when they have a seizure, but the most important thing is that you were there for her. By the way, I can't wait to read more of your story!

Megumi Ohira: Sorry this chapter didn't give too much enlightenment on how Ron will act when pregnant, but more is coming next chapter. I had to break it up because it was getting too long. And then it would take even longer for me to update. Hope you like it so far.

Triniroo: I know the story you're talking about. I read it on Sugarquill after I started this one. I hope there isn't too much similarity between them, other than Ron being pregnant. I do remember that I really enjoyed reading it, but I can't remember what the name of it was or the author. There's a lot of good fan fiction out there, and it's hard to keep up with it.

DiggaDigga: Thank you! Hope you like what's to come as well.

Strayct: I'm glad you've been enjoying it. I kind of enjoyed making them drunk but I also had fun giving them hangovers and having to rely on their own devices. Nothing is better than natural consequences when it comes to learning from your mistakes. And these guys continue to make quite a few, even though they're adults now.


	6. Somebody's Crying

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Harry Potter. I write this little fan fic strictly to entertain, certainly not to offend anyone. If the thought of Ron becoming pregnant offends you, please don't read any further.

A/N: I'm dedicating this chapter to VisiOnOfDeath and michelleywelley. To michelleywelley, thank you for your reviews of each chapter and your kind words. Your reviews always brighten my day. I'm honored that you've recommended this story to other people as well. That's a high compliment coming from an author such as yourself. And to VisiOnOfDeath, I want to thank you for your kind and enthusiastic review. It really made my day! In fact, it spurred me on to finish this chapter. Guess I just needed a little kick in the rear. Hope you and Joyce continue to enjoy the story. Keep the reviews coming.

By the way, is there anyone out there interested in being my beta? I could really use an extra brain to help me with this story. Benefits of the job include getting to read this story before anyone else, making suggestions as to where the story should go, and my undying gratitude and friendship. Maybe even some cookies. Now doesn't that sound like a good deal? Come on, you know you want to? Please?

Chapter 6: Somebody's Crying

Hermione lay in bed thinking of what was to come, with her husband snoring softly beside her. She looked over at his sleeping form, curled on his side with his mouth open. She smiled to herself and lovingly stroked his hair while he slept. They had agreed to tell the media once he had reached his third month of pregnancy, that was if he did get pregnant. After the third month, there was much less chance of miscarriage. Everything about this process felt to be out of their control, and both Ron and Hermione were feeling a bit stressed by it. IF they got pregnant, IF Ron could carry the baby to term, IF there were no complications...

Complications. That was a benign enough word, with a terrible meaning. At best, Ron would suffer a worse time of it than he would other wise have endured. At worst, Hermione could lose both the love of her life and their child. Or children, for that matter. Ginny had explained that there was a risk of multiple pregnancy with this procedure. What if Ron ended up carrying 6 or 7 babies like some of those muggle women she had read about? She didn't think Ron could handle the shock. No, she preferred one baby. Well, maybe two. Two would be alright, she supposed. As she imagined what twins would be like, she had a horrible image of Fred and George and all of the trouble they had caused poor Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione shuddered. No, definitely not. One baby would do just fine, thank you very much.

Hermione imagined what it would be like with Ron pregnant, waddling around the house and knowing that their child was in his expanding middle. Would she be jealous of him? Of course not! He didn't ask for her not to be able to conceive or carry their children. He was doing this not to show her up, but to bring their child into the world. It wasn't as if they would have some stranger carry their child. Ron would be the child's biological parent, after all. That would be too self centered to be jealous of him. But she knew that she wasn't being totally honest with herself. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she might be just a little jealous of him. After all, she was the woman. That was her purpose, to bear children. The old self doubt she had felt for so long after her initial diagnosis of infertility was ceasing back into her mind. She had felt that she was somehow less of a woman because she was barren. But Ron had never made her feel like she was less worthy of his love. He had been so supportive and loving with her through the whole ordeal, even though she knew his heart was breaking as well. She would just have to get a grip on herself and be as supportive of Ron as he had been with her. She needed to feel like she was an important part in this pregnancy, not just a bystander. Ron and her child would need her and she would be there to nurture them both.

Ron stirred beside her, opening his eyes slowly until they focused on his wife's face, and a sleepy grin broke over his face. Hermione loved it when he first woke up and had that goofy grin on his face. It was very endearing and very Ron. "Good morning, love of my life," she said before kissing him.

"Hmmm, morning love," Ron said with a contented sigh. He loved waking up next to the most beautiful woman every morning. He closed his eyes and curled up beside her to soak in her warmth.

"As much as I hate to wake you, we need to get moving. We have to be at Ginny's office in an hour so you can get your first dose of the potion." Ginny would administer the first dose of the potion to ready Ron's body for pregnancy, so that she could give him instructions on how to do it himself. He would then take it every day for three months before the embryo could be implanted.

"Alright," he yawned loudly, "let me take a quick shower to wake up. In fact, why don't you join me." He gave her the lopsided grin that always meant that they would be late for whatever function they were supposed to attend.

"I wish that I could, but we can't keep Gin waiting. There will be plenty of time for that later tonight." Hermione said, with a hint of regret in her voice.

"Ah well, can't blame a bloke for trying. I'll keep you at your word for later tonight, love." He said as he crawled out of bed and made his way toward the loo.

An hour later, they were seated in Ginny's exam room. "Here's the potion, Ron. You will need to take it everyday, at the same time to have the maximum benefit. You will need to take it on an empty stomach, but follow it with food within 30 minutes of the dose." Ron eyed the bottle with the royal blue liquid in it and hoped that it tasted better than the potions Madam Pomfrey used to give whenever he had been sick or injured at Hogworts. "You will place 7 drops in a glass of water and drink it down as quickly as possible. I'm sorry it doesn't taste very well. Pity sugar makes it useless." Damn, so much for tasting better than Pomfrey's.

After Ginny had mixed the potion in water, he downed the glass in 2 gulps. "Blahhh! You weren't kidding about the taste. That's bloody awful!"

"Sorry about that. Other than the taste, how do you feel?"

"My mouth has a sort of oily feeling from it, but otherwise fine." Ron knew he shouldn't feel an immediate reaction, but he thought he would have felt _something._

Ginny wrote his response down in a chart. "You may experience some side effects while taking this potion including moodiness, mild abdominal discomfort, aches and pains, and or food cravings. If anything becomes severe or unbearable, I want you to contact me immediately. One other thing Ron. I'd like you to write down how this potion effects you in this journal." Ginny handed him a bound journal with several columns across the pages. The titles of the columns were _Time of dose, Time of meal, Physical Reactions, Emotional Reactions_ and there were enough pages to last for the entire three months. "You don't need to write anything elaborate or even full sentences. Just a word or two about how you feel throughout the day will suffice. At the bottom of each page is a comments section if there is anything else you would like to add."

"I didn't know there was going to be homework too." Ron said, only half joking. "Just kidding. I'll do it Gin, although you know I'm not the most articulate with my feelings and such."

"Yeah, don't I know it." replied both Ginny and Hermione at the same time. They looked at each other and began laughing hysterically. Ron soon joined them until they were gasping for breath. Once they had calmed down again, Ginny held out a plate to Ron.

"Here's some muffins I picked up from the baker around the corner. There's enough for you and Hermione to share, and I want you to eat a couple now Ron to help with the potion. Ron didn't need telling twice. He gladly welcomed the chance to get the taste of the potion out of his mouth.

"I'll need to see you both again in three months for the procedure. Let me know if you need anything. Oh, and keep an eye on that husband of mine. Tell him I love him when you see him, Ron." Ginny walked them to the door and gave them each a hug.

After a week of taking the potion, Ron noticed that he was starting to feel some of the side effects Ginny had mentioned. His temper at work was quick to rise, and he need to remind himself not to say anything stupid. This was always a hard task.

Harry had noticed that his partner was a little off his game. Not that he couldn't perform all of his duties as he always had, but Ron often seemed to be holding his tongue for fear of saying something he would regret. But Harry couldn't miss the tell tale signs of the Weasley temper when Ron's jaw would clamp tight and his ears would turn a bright scarlet. And usually it was over small things that never would have bothered him before.

After the first month, Ron was also feeling the physical side effects. He often had a dull headache, but this was more annoying than painful. His back was stiff and sore, but this was really nothing out of the ordinary given his line of work. The most troublesome ailment was the constant stomachache he seemed to have. No matter how much or how little he ate, the stomachache would not go away. It wasn't unbearable, but it wasn't pleasant either. His stomach felt heavy and somewhat distended. Ron noticed that certain types of pants, ones with tight waistbands, made him feel worse and he avoided them at all costs.

Into the second month, Ron could no longer hide his emotional state from his co-workers. Ron and Harry were on an assignment and were watching a known criminal, waiting for him to make contact with his supplier of illegal poisons. At last, the time came for the bust and it went down perfectly. Both the dealer and supplier were arrested. The dealer however refused to go quietly. "Come on, mates. I didn't mean no harm. I gots 5 wee ones to feed and clothe. I needs to give 'um a roof over they heads. Poor ickle tikes. What will become of them with they poor ole pop locked up? Have a heart mates. You got any kids?"

Harry had heard enough and performed a silencing charm on the man to shut him up. Harry knew very well that he was a bachelor with no children. He looked back at Ron and found him staring with his eyes watering.

"Hey, what's wrong Ron? You feeling ok?" Harry knew that Ron had been feeling pretty crappy for the last couple of months due to the potion he was taking. Ginny had asked Harry to keep an eye on Ron and let her know if he was having problems. Ron was rubbing his stomach, and Harry wondered if the pain had gotten worse.

"Those poor little kids. Oh Harry, what have I done? Now they won't have a dad?" Large tears began falling down his cheeks, and Ron was powerless to stop them. His shoulders began shaking and he placed one of his hands over his eyes.

Harry felt stunned. Ron knew as well as he did that that clod had no family, but there was no reasoning with Ron right now. His emotions were all over the place, but this was the first time Harry had seen him cry. In fact, Harry had only ever seen Ron cry at his brothers' funerals, and then only briefly. Certainly not huge fat tears like he was now, over something that wasn't even real. Harry led Ron over to a nearby bench away from the rest of the auror team to let him get it out of his system in private. The last thing Ron would want was for his co-workers to see him like this. Harry sat with him and awkwardly patted his shoulder. Ron sat doubled over, one hand on his stomach, one over his eyes.

"Feeling any better?" Harry asked when Ron's shoulders stopped shaking.

"Sorry about that. Don't know what came over me." Ron was truly embarrassed by his outburst.

Harry noticed that their boss has just apparated on the scene to see how the mission went. Harry left Ron to collect himself and headed off Lieutenant Shanks before he could see Ron in this state. "Good work, Potter. We've been after these two for months. What's Weasley doing over there?"

"Oh, uh, he's not feeling very well, sir. Must be that nasty bug that's going around. Not well at all. Do you want me to send him home sir?" Harry lied. Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. Ron was feeling bad, but not because of the flu.

Lieutenant Shanks, famous for his dislike of disorder and sickness, agreed with Harry's suggestion. "Yes, indeed. Why don't you take him back Potter. Don't want him splinching himself if he's ill. Tell him to take the next couple of days off to recuperate. Can't have him getting the rest of the department sick with whatever he's got. Tell him to feel better, Potter." Shanks turned on his heel and returned to the other aurors on the scene.

Harry returned to Ron's side and placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "Let's go mate."

Ron paled. "Shanks' wants to see me, doesn't he? I can't face him like this."

Harry smiled at him. "Don's worry, I told him you were sick. He gave you the next couple of days off to 'recuperate'. He's afraid he'll get your 'illness'. I'm supposed to take you home so you don't splinch yourself. Lets go relax for a bit. Don't know when the last time we got off early was." They arrived at Ron's house and hung out the rest of the afternoon, just the two of them. Like old times. Ron even made them a snack, but Harry informed him that he wasn't hungry after Ron offered the plate of pumpkin pasties covered in hot sauce.

Harry had left Ron at his house before Hermione returned from work. Ron explained what had happened at work and was relieved when Hermione didn't laugh at him.

"Oh, poor thing," she said as she kissed his forehead and wrapped him in a hug. "You've really had a rough few weeks of it. Well, I'm glad you've got a couple of days off. I think you need a bit of a break from the stress. Why don't I call in sick and we can spend some time together."

"You, Hermione, are willingly going to skive off? I don't believe it! Wonders never cease."

Hermione slapped him on the shoulder and noticed that he was rubbing his stomach. "Stomachache again?"

"It never ends. Ginny said I would have some discomfort, you know, forming the 'organs' and all, but I'm getting a little sick of it."

"Why don't you lie down and take your shirt off." Hermione gently pushed him back on the sofa as he removed his shirt. She noticed his belly seemed a little swollen, most likely due to the new organs forming in there for the baby. She placed her hands on his stomach and began massaging it in slow, gentle circles. "How does that feel? I'm not hurting you am I?"

Ron was marveling at how good her hands felt. "No, it feels incredible. Please don't stop. It's the first time my stomach has felt good in ages." Hermione continued her massage until she noticed that Ron's breathing had evened out. He had fallen asleep. Hermione was glad that she could make Ron feel even a little better. Maybe she would have an important role to play after all.

A/N: The title, Somebody's Crying is by Chris Isaak.

LJ Fan: As always, you were the first to review this chapter. How do you do that? You can always make me laugh, my dear. The next chapter is dedicated to you! Did I tell you that I'm looking for a beta? :)

AnonymousPHancock (too lazy to log in): You know, they have this new feature on fanfiction.net that allows you to stay logged in for 3 days! Just kidding, I don' t care if you're logged in as long as you leave me a review. Keep them coming. Still looking for a beta, you know.

Strayct: Yes, most of the adults I know make more mistakes than children. And their mistakes are much bigger. Just like it would be a mistake to not beta for me :). I had to add it, sorry. The pros and cons list was fun to write. I do that when I've got to make a big decision.

michelleywelley: You rock, my friend. I had to dedicate this to you. Hope you don't mind. By the way, know anyone interested in being my beta? :)

triniroo: I don't think you're going to see too many similarities, other than being pregnant and non-slash. Glad you're liking it so far. Beta, anyone?

Hp/charmed obsessed: I love getting stories off other people's favorite lists. Thanks Digga Digga. Have you seen my beta?

VisiOnOfDeath: I know I already dedicated the chapter to you, but I did enjoy reading your review. I was feeling stuck in the story line, but after reading your review, I got a second wind. You are my muse. Wanna be my beta too?

OK, OK, I guess you guys get the hint. But I really do need a beta. Take pity on ne, I beg of you.


	7. Holding My Own

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or places described in the books. This story is meant for entertainment only, not to offend anyone. If you are offended in the least by mpreg stories, please don't read any further.

A/N: Well, my shameless begging and pleading has resulted in having 3 new betas for my story! I'm not ashamed of myself since my betas are all fantastically gifted writers themselves as well as being faithful reviewers of mine. I am truly honored that LJ Fan, VisiOnOfDeath, and michelleywelley are my new betas. Thank you so much guys. I know that I make a few (ok, a TON) of spelling and grammar mistakes, and I am thrilled that you found them and told me about them. Actually, I put them in there on purpose just to see I you were up to the task. Who am I kidding? I desperately needed you. A thousand thanks, a plate of cookies, and some jell-o for Starr.

I wanted to dedicate this chapter to LJ Fan, not only one of my new betas, but my fellow sap sister. Thank you for always making me laugh in your reviews, warning me about movies that will make me cry, and almost always being the first person with a review on a new chapter. You rock, my friend.

Just in case anyone is interested, the chapter title comes from The Darkness: Permission to Land. It seamed to be appropriate, relating to Ron later on in the chapter. If you haven't listened to this album before, I highly recommend it for their musical ability and their sense of humor.

Chapter 7: Holding My Own

The three months taking the potion had passed extremely slowly for Ron. However, they had passed and it was now time for both he and Hermione to return to Ginny's office for the next step. They were both glad this part was over. As supportive as Hermione had tried to be, it was difficult to deal with a constantly emotional husband. Perhaps this experience would teach him a little empathy after all, and he would be not so quick to blame her every mood change on "that time of the month."

Ron, for his part, had tried hard not to complain during these last couple of months. After all, women went through this period of feeling rotten every month for decades. It was just that he was eager to get on with the next part, when they would actually know whether they had conceived or not.

Ron and Hermione had arrived 10 minutes early for their appointment. As they sat in the waiting room, a very pregnant woman and her husband arrived and sat in the seats across from them. The woman smiled, absently rubbing her stomach, and spoke to Hermione. "So, are you two expecting?"

Hermione, unsure of how much information to give, replied. "Oh, no, not yet. We're hoping soon, though."

"There's nothing like the miracle of children. This is our third and fourth. We're having twin boys." Ron stared at her stomach, envisioning little hellions, a la Fred and George, terrorizing the happy couple. They didn't have a clue what twins were like.

"I'd be happy to be done with the pregnancy part though. These two do nothing but kick me day and night. I don't know when I last saw my feet or had a decent night's rest, but it's all worth it in the end." The pregnant witch sighed. "Only two more months of this to go."

Hermione smiled politely, but it was Ron who couldn't take his eyes off the woman's stomach. She was huge, and still had two months to go. Ginny had said that if it worked, he would likely become twice as big as a woman does when pregnant. His face paled at the thought. He finally asked, "So, what's it like, the whole pregnancy thing?"

The husband, thinking Ron was talking about him instead of his wife, stated "I'll be glad when the little buggers are here as well. It's not easy watching your wife go through hell, knowing how much pain she's in. Thank Merlin we don't have to do it, right, mate? Our fathers had the right idea, not being allowed in the delivery room. It's horrible, it is. They got to sit in the waiting room and hand out cigars and such."

Hermione looked at Ron's pale face, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Ron looked at his wife and gave her a forced smile that did not reach his eyes. He was terrified, but he didn't want to admit it. Thankfully, the mediwitch came out at that moment. "Weasleys? The healer will see you now."

They were led down the hallway to Ginny's office. She greeted each one of them as they sat in front of her desk. "Well, how have you been feeling this last month, Ron?"

After he had explained the various aches and pains as well as emotional outbursts, Ginny nodded her head. "Yes, that's to be expected, unfortunately. I have a few things to discuss with you before we proceed today. First, Ron, I'm going to give you the option of working with a different healer. From here on out, you are going to need invasive procedures. If you are in any way uncomfortable with me performing these procedures, then I will completely understand. You won't offend me if you would prefer that my colleague Healer Willowbark take over your medical care. I will still oversee the research, of course."

Ron didn't need to think about his options for long because to him, the choice was clear. "I don't want anyone else Gin. I trust _you._ You're the one who's gotten us this far and if it weren't for you, we wouldn't even think this was possible. Besides, we shared a room for years before Bill finally moved out. Not like I have anything you haven't seen before."

Ginny smiled at her brother. "I suppose not. Well, if you're ready then, we might as well get started. The first thing we need to do, Ron, is to make sure that the potion did its job preparing your body." Ginny led them into the exam room as Ron lay down onto the table. Ginny swept her wand over Ron's abdomen, and a green light glowed above his midsection. "Excellent. Looks like you're ready. Now then, we will take Hermione into the procedure room and extract her eggs magically. While we're doing that, you will need to work on the sperm sample." Ginny handed him a specimen cup.

"What??? You're not serious. I thought you were going to extract that magically as well."

"Sorry, Ron. That has to be done the old fashioned way." Ginny said, seriously.

"You mean I have to wank into this bloody cup?" Ron said, with his voice rising.

"Now, it won't be that bad. We have a lovely, private room that should be able to supply you with anything you need to get the job done. It's modeled after the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. When you're finished, hand the cup to the mediwitch, and she will bring it to the lab. Once we've combined the sperm and eggs, we need to wait for 72 hours before we can complete the procedure. You will need to come back in 3 days. And make sure that you get the day off of work, you two. You will need to lie down for 12 hours after the procedure, Ron. Someone will need to stay with you as well. If you can't take off work Hermione, I'm sure Mum could stay."

"It shouldn't be any problem, Gin. My caseload is pretty low right now. No major cases in the works." Ginny led Ron to the 'private' room and then left with Hermione to the procedure room.

Ron emerged from the room 30 minutes later, his face and ears burning red as he handed the cup to the mediwitch. He couldn't quite look her in the face. He sat in the waiting room, wondering what Hermione was going through.

When she finally returned, Ron embraced her and kissed her forehead. "Are you feeling alright? How was it?"

"I'm fine. Honestly, it didn't even hurt. The spells they used were quite complex. I was fascinated with the whole thing. Any problems with you? How was that room? I'm dying with curiosity to see it."

Ron thought for a moment about his experience. "It was the best and worst thing I've done in a long time. That room is bloody brilliant, I tell you. Anything you can fantasize, it appears." Ron cleared his throat. "Not that I ever needed to, uh, do that sort of thing. But then coming out of that room, cup in hand, and having to give it to the mediwitch? That was humiliating. Couldn't even look up from my shoes." Ron's ears turned red again with the memory.

Hermione tried to stifle her laugh. Even when Ron was embarrassed, he was endearing. She couldn't help loving this man. "Well, I'm sure they deal with that all the time here, darling. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Come on, let's head over to the Lamb's Wool for a bite to eat.

Three days later, Ron and Hermione returned to Ginny's office. "Are you ready for this, Ron?" Ginny asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be I suppose."

Ron and Hermione followed Ginny to the procedure room. When they had entered, Ginny instructed Ron to take his shirt off and lie down on the table. "Hermione, you can have a seat here next to Ron. I'm going to say a series of spells to implant two of the embryos. We suggest doing two because it doubles your odds of conceiving and even if they both implant, you wouldn't have to worry about a high number of multiples. With each baby, the chances of complications increase. I don't think your body could handle more than two, Ron. Once the spell work is done, I'll need you to drink a series of potions. Every two hours for the first twelve hours, I'll need you to repeat the potions. You may feel a bit woozy after, so it's straight home to bed with you. Do you have any questions before we get started?"

Hermione spoke up. "How many embryos were viable?"

"Actually, there are 6 healthy embryos, so we will freeze the other 4 in case you need them at a later date." Ginny didn't want to say 'in case this time doesn't work,' but Ron and Hermione knew what she meant.

"When will I know if I'm pregnant?" Ron asked.

Ginny replied, "Within two weeks, we should know one way or the other. We'll give you a pregnancy test at that time, but you might know for sure before we ever do the test. Listen to your body, Ron. If you're tired, then rest. If you're hungry, eat. I want you to continue with the multivitamin potion and the hormonal solution 3 times a day. Alright, let's get this show on the road."

Hermione reached for Ron's hand and gave it a squeeze. She continued to hold his hand and smooth his hair throughout the incantation. Once Ginny was finished, she helped Ron to sit up so that he could take the 6 different potions lined up in front of him. "How do you feel so far?" Ginny asked.

"No different. I didn't feel anything while you were saying the spells." Ron said.

"I'm not surprised. It's a combination of the spells and the potions that does it. Now, you need to finish all of these. I'm sorry the taste is pretty bad."

"Yeah, and I should drink them in one gulp. I'm starting to see a pattern here." Ron said with a grimace. "Well then, down the hatch." Ginny was right. They tasted pretty disgusting. After Ron had finished the fourth one, his head started feeling a little light. He downed the fifth potion, and the room felt like it was turning on it's axis. Ginny could tell that they were affecting him. "Are you alright, Ron?"

"I'm feeling a bit dizzy. The room won't quit spinning."

Hermione looked concerned. "Just one more to go, love. Then I can take you home."

Ron nodded his head, which was the wrong thing to do as this made his head spin even more. He downed the last of the potions and nearly gagged. He wasn't sure if he was going to throw up or pass out, but he felt certain he was going to do one of them. Ginny suggested that he put his head between his knees and take deep breaths. As he tried to regain his composure, Hermione rubbed his back soothingly. It helped, for a few minutes later he was able to sit up without swooning like a nutter.

"Alright there Ron?" Ginny asked her pale, sweating brother. He managed a weak "yeah" and she pushed his sweat soaked fringe away from his forehead. "The next round won't be as bad as this. Just make sure that you are in bed when you take them in case you do pass out. If you're ready to stand, I can release you. Remember, straight home with you. Can you manage to apparate without splinching yourself?"

"Yeah, it's better now. Just a little woozy is all." Ron got to his feet and swayed slightly. Hermione steadied him as he got his balance.

"Make sure he drinks plenty of liquids and stays in bed. Nothing too heavy to eat. Soups and broths are ok. He should be able to eat regularly again tomorrow. If you have any problems, call me," Ginny explained to Hermione before giving Ron a hug. "I'll come by to visit tonight to see how you're doing."

Ron thanked her before he and Hermione apparated to their bedroom. Hermione helped Ron to get changed into his pajamas as he was still a little dizzy. Once she had gotten him situated in bed, she kissed him on the forehead and prepared let him get some sleep. Ron stopped her before she left the room. "Will you stay with me?" Ron asked through hooded eyes. How could she resist that wounded puppy look he gave whenever he was sick?

"Of course. Do you want anything first?" Hermione asked as she filled a glass next to his bed with water.

"Just you." Hermione climbed into bed with Ron. He laid his head on her chest and was asleep within minutes. She listened to his steady breathing and stroked his hair while he slept. She watched him, worried about what he was going to go through in the coming months. She worried how he would react if this didn't work. Ron was the strongest person she knew, but would he be able to deal with losing a child? Would she? But as she lay next to him, stroking his hair, she had the overwhelming feeling that everything would be ok. She whispered softly into his hair "Sleep well, my love. Both of you."

Hp/charmed obsessed: Thanks anyway. Perhaps you could find your own beta by shameless begging and pleading as well. It worked for me J

AnonymousPHancock: He is a good man, isn't he? Thick headed and a bit of a prat, but he would do anything to help his loved ones. Even get himself knocked up.

Straycat: I'm so happy to have a Dutch fan! Dyslexia is a difficult thing to overcome, but good on you for continuing to write as well as beta for LJ Fan. It pleases me to hear people say that Hermione's thoughts seem to be very realistic. Thank you so much.

Kristi: Glad you like it so far.

Penguingirl1266: Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I'm glad I haven't grossed you out (yet, anyway). And thank you for the offer to beta. I actually already had 3 offers, so I don't need you right now. But the offer is much appreciated. And if they decide that they are sick of my pathetic writing and no longer want to beta, I hope your offer will still stand. I have found fan fiction writers and readers to be very kind and helpful on this site. I hope you will continue to read and enjoy the story.


	8. I Wanna Be Sedated

Chapter 8: I Wanna Be Sedated

A/N: This title seemed appropriate somehow. Not only did it fit the theme of the chapter, but also served as a tribute to Johnny Ramone of the Ramones, who died recently. Sorry for the long wait between chapters, but I hope you like it anyway. Now on with the story...

It had been a week since the procedure to try to impregnate Ron. Both he and Hermione had been looking for any signs of pregnancy, but so far everything was the same. Molly Weasley had been by three times that week, each time with some excuse to bring food or with some information about a member of the family that apparently needed to be told in person. But her reasons were thinly veiled excuses to keep an eye on her youngest son and his wife. Truth be told, she was starting to get on Ron's nerves a little, but Hermione welcomed the older woman's loving support. She was much closer to her mother-in-law than she was to her own mother, and was glad to have her around. Ginny and Harry had stopped by a couple of times to chat, and assured Ron that it was still too early to tell if he was pregnant. Ron's patience was wearing thin with the waiting, but luckily, Molly had threatened Fred and George within an inch of their lives to leave Ron and Hermione alone until they had some news. Although he loved his brothers dearly, those two were the last people Ron wanted to see when his nerves were already so close to shattering. Unfortunately, Ron suspected that when they were permitted by Molly to call on the couple again, that their visit would be far too memorable. Ron could only venture to guess what kind of pranks were in store.

Ron and Hermione tried to focus on other things to keep their mind off of things. They went for long walks at night, visited friends, and played chess. Well, Ron played chess and Hermione just surrendered her pieces to him. With Ginny's blessing, Ron continued working with Harry keeping a close eye on him. They hadn't been assigned anything remotely dangerous in a while and Ron had not yet informed their boss. He figured his boss would only need to know if it were successful.

On the eighth day of what was jokingly termed "the longest bloody two weeks ever", Ron apparated home after work to find his mother there, _again. _Ron stiffened and tried to hide the annoyance he was feeling before approaching his mother. He loved her dearly, he honestly did, but enough was enough. He was tired of her constantly coming over unannounced. Did she honestly think they wouldn't tell her if they had any news?

"Oh, Ron dear. You're home at last. I just stopped by to have a chat with Hermione and I brought you some stew. I never have quite learned to cook for just your father and I after all of those years of cooking for all of you children. I hate to see it go to waste," Molly said as she reached out to straighten Ron's robes and pick some lint off his collar.

Ron, his patience worn down to a thread now, decided this was the time to confront his mother. "So you just happened to have some extra stew and decided we needed it?"

"Well, of course. I know that you two work such long hours, and with everything you've been going through, I thought you could use it." Molly was now reaching into the cabinet for three bowls.

"Mum, Ginny and Harry work just as long as we do. Did you take any to them? Or is there some other reason you're here? I've seen you more in these last few days than I have in the last month combined. I appreciate your concern, but I'm just fine. We're fine, and perfectly capable of cooking our own meals." Ron knew as soon as the words left his mouth that he shouldn't have said them.

"Fine. I'll just take my stew and go, shall I? Maybe I'll drop it off at Ginny and Harry's place. Hopefully my youngest child is a little more grateful for a home cooked meal. I do hope that you decide to stop by The Burrow soon, Ronald, as I wouldn't want to intrude on you here. Hermione, it was lovely to talk to you dear. I hope you take my advice, and feel free to call on me any time." Molly said stiffly. She quickly gathered her cloak and pot of stew and disapparated before Ron could respond.

If looks could kill, Ron would have been mortally wounded by Hermione's stare at that moment. "Ronald Weasley! Was that any way for you to talk to your mother? After all of the things she's done for you?"

Ron released a loud sigh and closed his eyes. "I know, I know. I didn't mean for it to sound so harsh. I had a long day, and I was looking forward to a peaceful night with my wife, alone. I'll floo mum in the morning and apologize."

"Well, we're alone now, aren't we? And thanks to you, without anything to eat. I hope you know what you're going to make for dinner, because you're cooking tonight," Hermione said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Why me? I didn't mean for her to leave, well ok, I did want her to leave. But if she hadn't stopped by, we would have to make something anyway. Why do I have to cook everything by myself now?" Ron's face began to turn the Weasley crimson, never a good sign.

"Because you are the only one who's going to eat. I'm so mad at you right now I can't even look at you. I'm going over to Ginny's for a while." Hermione's voice was now raised an octave and a few decibels.

"Why are you so mad at me? Weren't you getting tired of her being here all the time?"

"As a matter of fact, I wasn't. I, unlike you, enjoy being able to talk to Molly about what we're all going through. You aren't the only one who's anxious, Ron. As for why I'm so mad at you, I hope I never see you be so disrespectful to your mother again. If... when we have a child, I hope they don't ever treat me the way you just treated your mother tonight. I'm ashamed of you. " Hermione turned away from Ron, picked up her wand, and disapparated.

Ron slumped into a kitchen chair and laid his head down on the table. Somehow he had managed to anger the two most important women in his life in one fowl swoop. He thought this must be some sort of record. He briefly considered tracking down his mother immediately and apologizing for his temporary lack of gray matter, but the rumbling in his stomach pushed that thought away for the moment as he needed to take care of his most basic needs first.

The next morning, after having begged for his mother's and his wife's forgiveness the evening before, Ron awoke feeling miserable. His muscles ached, he felt weak and a little feverish. Perfect, he thought to himself, nothing like getting a virus on top of everything else. He didn't feel ill enough to stay home and he didn't want to bother Hermione sleeping peacefully in their bed, so he got dressed and headed for work. He figured he'd go see Ginny after his shift to see if there was anything he could take for this cold.

When Ron arrived at work, Harry immediately noticed something was wrong. "Hey mate. You alright? You look like shite."

"I feel like crap too, thanks for asking." Ron flopped into his chair behind his desk. There were several stacks of folders not-so-neatly piled on his desk waiting for his review. Ron sighed to himself as he mentally tallied the paperwork he would have to complete before the day was over.

Harry walked over to Ron and placed the back of his hand on Ron's forehead. "I'm serious. You don't look well. You're a bit warm. Perhaps you should go see Ginny. You think this has anything to do with...you know?" Harry asked, with he eyes pointed directly at Ron's mid-section.

"I already though of that. Don't know, but if I start feeling any worse, I'll go see her. Anything going on around here today?"

Before Harry could answer, the door to Shank's office opened and he bellowed, "Weasley, Potter, I need you in my office." Shanks was a portly man of about 50. He was a few inches shorter than Harry and his remaining hair surrounded his head like a crown. His face was weathered like he had spent far too much time in the sun, but his brown eyes glinted with the same power they had radiated as a young man of 20. He had been one of the top aurors in his day, and a fine leader. He liked to give the impression that he was a gruff and intimidating man, but it was well know that he had a heart of gold, which annoyed him to no end. Shanks had been married 3 times, but never had one of his marriages last long enough to have produced any children. Shanks, for all intents and purposes, was married to his job. Bertram Shanks did not tolerate anything less than the best out of his aurors, but he was a fair man who had earned the respect of everyone who worked for him.

Ron and Harry looked at each other with a similar look of trepidation before heading into Shanks' office. Ron was a little nervous. Did Shanks find out about his 'extracurricular activities' or was he going to give them a dangerous assignment? Ron was hoping for a nice, easy stake-out or a forgery case, but one never knew what they were in store for with Shanks.

Lieutenant Shanks got right to the point. "We've had a new development on the Amato case. Seems the little wanker has turned up again in London working for a curry shop. If this bloke had a brain, he'd really be dangerous. As it is, he doesn't know when to quit while he's ahead. He shouldn't be too hard to apprehend. Here's the address." Shanks handed Harry a slip of parchment with the address to the curry shop. Delroy Amato was a small Frenchman who was known to be a distributor of Class 3 non-tradable substances. He had escaped capture until this point through sheer dumb luck, rather than through cunning tactics. It was a well known fact that he was on the low end of the intelligence bell-curve, and it was a wonder that he was still walking the streets. The last anyone had heard, Delroy had returned to France. He was an idiot for returning to England, but there it was. Ron and Harry figured this was an easy enough job, as they were not dealing with a criminal mastermind.

"Well then, if there aren't any questions, you two should get a move on." Shanks looked the two men over as they were turning to leave the office. Shanks' brow furrowed for a moment before speaking again. "Wait. Weasley, come back in here." Ron glanced at Harry, who simply shrugged his shoulders as he continued out the door.

Ron turned around to face the Lieutenant. "Yes sir?"

"Weasley, you're looking a bit off color. Are you ill?" Shanks looked Ron over carefully, noting the red-head's pale complexion.

"Just a little under the weather this morning, sir. It'll pass soon." Ron replied, believing it to be true.

"I don't want you going on assignment if you're sick. You could jeopardize the mission if you're not at peak performance." Shanks was honestly worried about Ron putting himself or Harry in danger, but he would never admit that out loud. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Positive sir. Just a little bug, I'm sure." Ron was eager to get to this job, as it would give his mind something to do besides wait and worry. Besides, Ron had worked feeling much worse than this over the years. This was nothing but a little cold.

"Well, if you're sure then. Dismissed." Shanks returned to his own mountain of paperwork as Ron left, closing the door behind himself.

Harry was waiting for Ron by the equipment room, having gathered everything they would need for their new assignment. "Well, what did Shanks want?"

"He was just telling me that he cares and to eat all of my veggies like a good lad," Ron replied dryly, as he donned his utility belt. "And before you say anything, I'm fine. I'd tell you if I couldn't do this job."

"Just don't go getting yourself killed. It would take too long to explain to Hermione, Ginny, and Mum, and blood never really comes completely out of your clothes, you know," Harry said, clapping a hand on Ron's shoulder, grinning.

Ron rolled his eyes at his partner. "Are we going to do this, or are we going to spend all day flapping our gums about."

With a pop, Ron disapparated a second before Harry to the coordinates of the curry shop. It was only 9 am, but there were lights on in the small restaurant. Harry and Ron decided to wait until the shop opened before going in, giving them time to watch things a bit from across the street, using their omniocculars.

After an hour and a half of watching the front window of the store, one of the cooks walked out into the front of the restaurant, with a drink in hand as he sat down at one of the tables. He was a small man, with thinning hair and a large hook nose. He wiped the sweat that had formed on his brow with the towel that was hanging off the front of his apron. "Ah, there you are Delroy, you slimy git. Thought you could just sneak back into the country without anyone noticing." Harry handed the omniocculars over to Ron so that he could get a glimpse of their man.

"That's him alright. Ugh, he just picked his nose and wiped it on his towel. That's disgusting, that is. Remind me never to eat here," Ron observed, his face twisted into a grimace. "Shop opens in another 20 minutes. Guess we'll hang out till then." Ron returned the omniocculars to Harry, and leaned back against a tree with his eyes closed.

"So, you feeling any better?" Harry was still concerned about his friend, given the unusual paleness of his features. Ron hadn't mentioned anything lately, but Harry could tell he was still under the weather. He hoped that it didn't mean anything was wrong.

Ron didn't bother opening his eyes before replying. "Not really. I think once we take this guy in, I'll pay Ginny a visit." Ron really was feeling lousy, and counted himself lucky that they had been given an easy assignment.

After a long wait, a pretty, dark-haired young woman unlocked the front door and turned a sign in the window over to read 'open'. Seizing the opportunity, the two aurors walked in as the first customers of the day. As soon as Ron entered the restaurant, the various curry smells assaulted his nose. Ordinarily, he would have been salivating, as he loved a good, hot curry. But today, the smell of the Indian food made him feel a bit queasy. They needed to finish this job quickly, before it all became too much. As they continued walking past the front counter toward the kitchen, the hostess tried to stop them. She continued shouting that they weren't allowed in the back, but they ignored her.

The commotion the two had caused made Delroy look up from the table where he was chopping carrots, and instantly knew the two aurors were there for him. He immediately dropped the knife and headed for the back door. Harry took off, running after him. Ron tried to follow, but the smell of the curry was strongest here. It was making his stomach churn and his head pound. The hostess was still yelling at him, but he could no longer hear what she was saying. The other cooks continued on, as if nothing had happened, and the sound of the utensils scraping on the pans, mixed with the hostess' voice and the curry smells overwhelmed him. Ron could only hear a white noise in his head and the room seemed over bright. He had the sensation that the ground had tilted to the side and was now rushing up to meet him just before everything went black.

Harry easily caught up with Delroy and had him stunned when he suddenly realized Ron wasn't behind him. He called Ron's name, but didn't get a response. Observing that Delroy was subdued, Harry ran back into the kitchen to find Ron passed out cold on the floor. His heart beating a mile a minute, he looked around at the kitchen workers. Not seeing any wands in sight, and realizing that there weren't likely any wizards in a muggle curry shop, Harry concluded that Ron hadn't been hexed.

Worry etched on his face, Harry reached down to shake Ron's shoulder and try to wake his partner. "Come on Ron, wake up. This is no place for a nap. Ron? Come on mate, wake up." Harry's facial expression turned from worry to relief when Ron's eyes began to flutter. "That's it mate, open you eyes. There's a good lad."

His eyes now open, Ron saw a fuzzy outline of black, unruly hair and glasses peering over him. "Harry, what happened? What am I doing on the floor?"

"You must have passed out. When you weren't behind me, I came back to find you unconscious on the floor. Do you feel like you can sit up?" Ron nodded his head weakly as Harry assisted him to a sitting position.

Harry summoned a glass of water, and helped steady the glass as Ron drank from it with shaky hands. Whatever had happened to Ron, Harry was now sure that it had nothing to do with a common cold.

After a few minutes, Ron was less shaky and a bit more alert. Remembering why they had come to the restaurant in the first place, Ron ran his hand through his hair and asked, "Well, did you catch him?"

Harry's eyes went wide with the sudden realization. "Oh, shite. Be right back." Harry tore out of the kitchen headed for the alley where he had left Delroy stunned. In all the excitement, he had almost forgotten about his prisoner. When Harry reached the alley, he knew what he would find. "Damn," Harry exclaimed to no one in particular. Delroy was gone. His lucky streak had continued.

Harry returned to the kitchen and helped Ron to his feet. He swayed, but Harry steadied him. "The buggering fool is gone, but there's not much we can do about it now. Let's get you to Ginny so she can check you out. I'll floo Hermione once we're there so she can meet us." Ron knew better than to argue. Harry helped Ron out into the alley where he made a port key to Ginny's office out of a cardboard box. With Ron's arm draped over his shoulders, Harry grasped the box and felt a familiar tugging behind his navel.

A/N: Sorry, I know, another cliffhanger. I promise that I won't take as long updating with the next chapter. Again, thanks to my wonderful Betas Michelleywelley, LJ Fan, and VisiOnOfDeath. Who knew I would have my own beta posse? I couldn't do this without your help (ok, I could, but it would suck so much more). You guys are the best. And for everyone that took the time to review, it is much appreciated. Chapter 7 received the most reviews of all of the chapters so far, so lets go for a record with this Chapter!

LJ Fan: See, you were the first one to review chapter 7. And you beta read it too. So you read it twice and still reviewed! Yay you! Oh you, with all the compliments, you're making me blush. So sap-sister, seen any good sappy movies lately?

AnonymousPHancock (to lazy to log in): I guess I was on a roll, until it took me 3 months to update. Hopefully, I'm back on track now.

Strayct: Thanks for reviewing again. I look forward to hearing from you, my international representative.

Secretly Smiling: Thanks. Sorry for the wait.

Michelleywelley: Hello again, my friend. I took your advice about the last part dealing with the length of the spells. I looked on the lexicon for any reference to how long spells last, but couldn't find anything. So I tweaked it a little, and it hopefully makes a little more sense. Anyway, the story worked better with the spell lasting only a short time, so I went with it. Thanks again for help. I'll see you on Pumpkin Carver's reviews in the near future (I love her story, too.)

ShortyFaillace: Thanks, I'm glad you like it.

hp/charmed obsessed: I'm here to tell you, that you missed out on a fantastic beta in michelleywelley. Your loss is my gain, I suppose. Anyway, I hope the search is going well. If you want a resource for some "British-isms", check out The Best of British at if you haven't already. Hope this helps.

Boffin: Well, thank you very much. As you can see, I'm not always quick in my updates, but I hope that I can make up for it in quality (well, it sounded good anyway). Don't be so impatient to get to the end...there are a few good parts coming up that you would miss. And that's all I can say.

Triniroo: Thank you so much for your offer. Wow, I never expected anyone to want to be a beta, let alone have all the amazing offers I've received. That was very kind of you, and I appreciate it. Right now, I have 3 betas which is working out well. I'll defiantly keep you in mind for the future.

Clothes-peg rules: I'm curious as to how you came up with your name. Thanks much for your review. Hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Nikki: Look what happens when you ask nicely? I was just getting ready to post and saw your e-mail. We must be on the same wavelength today. Spooky...


	9. Tell Her Tonight

Chapter 9: Tell Her Tonight

A/N: The chapter title comes from Franz Ferdinand. I highly recommend their debut CD, and it was just announced that they will write music for The Goblet of Fire, and may have a cameo in the movie (perhaps as the Weird Sisters). How cool is that?

Hermione Weasley worked hard to control everything that she could, both in her personal and professional life. This tactic had served her well as a Ministry lawyer, as she always appeared cool and collected in the courtroom. Her clothes were always pressed and her hair, once a bushy nightmare of unruly curls, was now tamed into cascading waves of honey brown. At Hogwarts, she had never taken the time to notice her own appearance, and furthermore could have cared less. Now, she realized the importance of her own grooming and appearance on how seriously she was taken in her job. She couldn't help but scoff at what she perceived as the shallowness of it all. Really, what did one's hair and clothing matter if one was articulate and knowledgeable in their field? But, she was clever enough to know that appearance _did_ matter to others, no matter how unfair it seemed.

Hermione's control in her personal life had been all but non-existent since she and Ron had found out that she was unable to bear children. She had tried to be strong, and take the news with grace. She succeeded most of the time. Only when she overheard other women speak of their pregnancies as "accidents" or when she read about Muggle girls who discarded their infants in rubbish bins did she become outraged over the unfairness of it all. A child could never be an accident or a piece of garbage to be thrown out with yesterday's leftovers. Children were a gift, one she had not received.

Hermione didn't think that she could share her feelings about all of this to anyone. Even though Ron was going through it with her, and knew from his own experience how being childless made one feel...incomplete, she didn't want to burden him with her darker thoughts. He had been amazingly supportive and now was trying to become pregnant and carry their child. She felt he certainly had enough on his plate without adding more. Surprisingly, Hermione found great comfort in talking to Molly Weasley. Of all people, Hermione thought her mother-in-law, the mother of seven, could never relate to the emptiness she felt in her heart. Molly had surprised her, by not only understanding, but by offering comfort, companionship, and advise. Now that all of the Weasley children were grown and out of the house, Molly also felt an emptiness. It was Molly who had suggested that Hermione should get away for a few days with Ginny for a girls weekend away. Molly had even offered to watch little James so that the girls could enjoy themselves. Hermione, though she loved her husband dearly, had found that he took his mother and family far too much for granted. He simply expected them to be as wonderful and warm as they were. Perhaps, she thought, that comes with being raised in a close-knit, loving family. Hermione was the tiniest bit jealous of the unconditional love Ron had always known. She had been the only child to parents who, while career-oriented and ambitious, were not exactly warm and fuzzy. Now with both of her parents deceased over ten years ago, she felt even closer to Molly.

Remembering Ron's outburst at his mother last night, Hermione frowned. He had apologized for his behavior and truly appeared sorry. Perhaps it was the stress or the hormones, but Ron definitely was acting strange. His temper was short, even by Ron standards. Once she had left the house to cool down, she had talked about it with Ginny and Molly. Molly knew that her son normally was not that rude, and laughed it off. She laid wager that Ron would come to apologize shortly, right after he had fed himself. Sure enough, he did just that an hour later while the three woman sat in Ginny's kitchen drinking tea. Ron had that downcast look in his eyes, and truly did look remorseful. He was so utterly adorable that she couldn't remain cross with him. They had apparated home a short while later, and Ron had gone straight to bed. He really did look exhausted, she remembered thinking at the time. When she had awoken this morning, Ron had already left for work.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by a small 'pop' from the fireplace in her office. She looked up to see Harry's head in the fire.

"Harry! What a nice surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hermione, something's wrong with Ron. He collapsed while we were on a case this morning. I've brought him over here to Ginny's office and she's checking him over now. I think you ought to come." Before Hermione could digest the information, Harry disappeared again.

Hermione's mind went into overdrive. A million thoughts tumbled through her head at once. What if there's something seriously wrong with him? "Oh Gods. Please let him be alright," she said aloud, although there was no one in her office to overhear. As quickly as she could, she grabbed her cloak and informed the secretary that she had a family emergency and would be out of the office for the rest of the day. She took a handful of floo powder out of the expensive urn on the mantle, threw it into the fire, and shouted the name of Ginny's clinic.

As she stumbled out of the fire, she rushed over to the waiting room and immediately spotted Harry. Not bothering to brush the ashes from her clothes, she immediately threw her arms around his neck. She could feel the hot tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she asked him what had happened. Harry explained the day's events as Hermione sank into a chair.

"How could he go on a mission, knowing he wasn't feeling well? Do you think he'll be alright? How long has he been in with Ginny? Shouldn't we take him to St. Mungos?"

"Hey, slow down. We just got here, right before I called you. Ginny wanted to look him over first to see what was wrong. She would have already transferred him if she thought it was serious. I haven't even sent a message to the Lieutenant yet. Now that you're here, I better go take care of it." Harry stood and turned back to look at Hermione, placing a reassuring hand on her should. "He's going to be fine. I'm sure of it."

Hermione placed her hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze. "I know, I'm just worried. He's everything to me, Harry." She closed her eyes, hoping to stop the tears from falling. When she opened them again, she smiled up at Harry. "Thanks for taking care of him, of us. You're the best friend I've ever had."

Harry kissed her on the cheek before walking off to the fireplace to inform Lieutenant Shanks of the day's events. Harry had only been gone a moment before a door opened down the long corridor and a head of auburn hair emerged. Ginny spotted Hermione and waved her back.

Hermione, keeping herself in check, managed to calmly walk the distance to where Ginny stood, rather than run as her first instinct told her to do. Ginny smiled at her, a markedly good sign. "He's going to be just fine. He's asking for you. Go on in, and I'll come back to check on you in a few minutes."

Ron was lying down on the exam table with his shirt off. When he saw his wife, a huge grin broke over his face. Hermione's fears were gone in that instant, and she was never so glad to see him as she was in that moment.

"There's my beautiful wife. Come here, you." Ron motioned for her to sit next to him. Hermione sat in the chair next to the table, cupping his hand between both of hers.

"Oh, Ron. I was so worried. Are you feeling better?"

Ron's eyes were misty, but the smile never wavered from his face. "I will be, in about nine months. We're pregnant, love. It worked." Ron's voice was oddly calm as he said the words they had wanted to hear for so many years. All of the frustration, disappointment, and waiting had led up to this moment. The tears that had threatened to spill since Hermione had heard about Ron's collapse now made their way down her cheeks. But these were tears of sheer joy. Hermione was rarely speechless, but this was one of those times. Instead, she placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him tenderly.

After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart. "Oh, Ron! Is it real? Is this really happening?"

"Yes love, it's real. We are going to be parents in less than nine months. I know, I can't really believe it either, but Ginny confirmed it. Thought she was going to break my ribs the way she was hugging me. Don't know whether she's happier about us giving her a niece or a nephew or the fact that her research was successful."

Hermione beamed at her husband. "I always knew that girl was a smart one. Had to be, I suppose, good Weasley genes and all." Her face changed to one of concern as she remembered why they were in Ginny's office in the first place. "So are you alright then? What about this illness of yours, will it affect the baby?"

"Actually, according to Ginny, I was sick _because_ of the baby. Apparently, different people show signs of pregnancy in different ways. This was just my bodies way of letting me know."

Hermione placed her palm over Ron's flat stomach, hoping to feel any signs of life. There was no movement detectable, but she could feel the heat radiating from his abdomen. She leaned down to place a kiss on his stomach and felt a rumble under her lips. She laughed at his timing. "Hungry, are we?"

"How did you guess," he said, somewhat embarrassed that his empty stomach decided to make itself known at that precise moment. "Ginny should be back soon to let me out of here. What say we go to that little Italian place around the corner and grab a bite, yeah?"

As if on cue, Ginny knocked on the door and let herself in. Her smile was almost as wide as Ron and Hermione's. "Well, how are the mommy and daddy doing?"

Hermione threw herself at her friend and sister-in-law, and began to cry again. "Gin, how can we ever thank you? We never thought this could happen to us. You are the cleverest, most wonderful healer ever! You've made our dreams come true."

Ron, who was busy wiping his eyes, agreed. "You really are the best sister in the world. Thank you, for everything." Ginny crossed the room and hugged her brother as the tears began to fall down her own cheeks.

The emotional moment was interrupted by another knock at the door. Harry entered with a serious expression on his face. "The mediwitch said that Hermione was here, and I wanted to see if everything was alright. Why is everyone crying, is it bad news?"

"Looks like you're going to be an uncle again. The procedure worked, Harry." Ron was grinning from ear to ear.

Harry embraced Ron as a brother, and clapped him on the back. "Congratulations, mate. That's bloody fantastic! Told you my wonderful wife could do it." He turned to give Hermione a hug and lifted her off her feet, as they both laughed.

"So, enough with all this hugging and crying. Harry, did you check in with headquarters?" Ron wondered what their boss had to say about the day's events.

Harry's face turned serious again. "Yeah, I talked to Shanks. He was a little upset that I let Amato get away, but he'll cool down by tomorrow. He wanted to know if you were okay and told me to tell you 'don't even think about setting foot in this office until you are fully recovered or there will be dire consequences, Mr. Weasley'", Harry said in his best Bertram Shanks voice. "It was touching, really."

"So he was concerned about me, was he? The old softy." Ron chuckled at the thought of what Shanks would say if he knew they called him a softy. "So was he really pissed, then?"

"Well, he's not happy that Amato is still loose, but he understood. He would have done the same thing if his partner were in trouble. Like I said, he'll get over it by tomorrow and when I bring old Delroy in, he might even bake me a nice plate of biscuits."

"Thanks again, mate, for saving my bacon back there. I thought I was fine. Guess the little one had other plans."

"Speaking of which, Ron," Ginny began, "you are going to have to give up the field work until after the baby is born. You really were lucky today. If you had gone on a more dangerous mission, it all could have ended very differently. I'm very happy for you both, and I don't want to be a kill joy, but you have to remember that your pregnancy is going to be high risk. You need to follow all of the instructions I give you, and you need to keep as much stress out of your life as you can. Being a male already puts you at a higher risk for miscarriage, and I want to try to reduce those odds as much as we can." Ginny handed Ron his potions and a scroll full of instructions on what and what not to do. "If you're feeling up to it, you can get dressed and get out of here. I really am happy for you both. I want to see you back here in the office in two weeks to see how everything is progressing. I've got to go tend to my other patients. Floo me if you need anything or just want to chat. We'll have to get together this weekend. Hermione, think about where you want to go on our girls weekend." Ginny quietly shut the door behind her.

"I've got to get going myself. There's a ton of paperwork just waiting for me at the office. You are going to be great parents. If anyone deserves this, it's the two of you." Harry disapparated with a pop.

"Guess that just leaves the three of us, love. If you hand me my shirt, we'll get out of here." As Hermione retrieved Ron's shirt from the other side of the room, his stomach gave a loud growl for the third time. "All right, all right. I'm hurrying and then we'll eat. Hold you wig."

"Who are you talking to?"

"The baby, of course. Already, it's demanding to be fed."

"Ron, the baby is no larger than the fingernail on my pinky. How can it possibly be responsible for that?"

"You'd be surprised how big a Weasley appetite can be."

Hermione whispered 'not really' under her breath, but Ron had obviously heard her. "Just wait. In a couple of months, this baby will be wanting food all hours of the day and night."

"An I'll make sure it has plenty to eat, even if it's three o'clock in the morning" Hermione said as she kissed him on the forehead, and mentally made a note to triple their food delivery order from Guielgood's Magical Grocer. She had a feeling that Ron would eat all of it, and possibly more.

They had enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Marconi's and true to form, Ron ordered two entrees. Over lunch, they had discussed telling the rest of the family and agreed that they needed to tell Molly and Arthur first, and then the rest of the Weasleys. Ron also thought about Harry, knowing that he would have to have a new partner for the first time. Harry hadn't mentioned it, and had been very supportive and happy when he had found out about the pregnancy. But Ron couldn't help notice how quickly Harry left to go back to work, and hoped that his best friend would be alright. Hermione thought that he would just need a little time to adjust to the idea of a new partner, but reassured Ron that Harry was overjoyed for them.

Later that afternoon, Ron and Hermione flooed to the Burrow to fill Molly and Arthur in on the good news. Molly immediately threw her arms around her son and squeezed him tightly. She then embraced Hermione, hugged her just as tightly, and kissed her cheek. Molly's tears of joy were infectious, and it wasn't long before Hermione was crying again. When they broke apart, Hermione noted that Ron's eyes were red rimmed, as he handed Arthur's handkerchief back to him.

"Well then, this is an exciting day. Oh, I'm just absolutely chuffed. I'm so happy for the both of you, and I can't wait until I meet my new grandson, or granddaughter. And remember dear, twins do run in the family," Molly said as she wiped her eyes on her apron.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Speaking of the devils, have you heard from them this week?" Ron hoped that his brothers would take it easy on him once they found out the news, but anything was possible from those two. After all, he was pregnant and Ginny said to take it easy. No stress allowed.

"Don't worry dear. I'll make sure that they don't excite you. Why don't you sit down, and I'll get you some supper. I'm sure you must be starved. I remember those days well. My appetite was enormous. I've made some Shepard's Pie, your favorite." Molly picked up her wand and magically spooned some onto a plate.

Hermione didn't think she could eat another bite. And really, it wasn't healthy for Ron to overeat and make himself sick."Sorry, Mum. We just ate about an hour ago. I'm still full from lunch."

"Speak for yourself. I'd love some, Mum." Ron began to stuff his mouth as soon as the plate arrived in front of him.

"Don't worry, dear. It's perfectly natural to be hungry all the time when you're pregnant. His body will tell him when he's had enough. He hasn't had any morning sickness then?"

"Not so far, but the scroll Ginny gave us said it could appear any time. Normally, a woman wouldn't even know she was pregnant yet at this stage. It's hard to know exactly what to expect with Ron's pregnancy." Hermione watched in awe as Ron finished off another plate of food.

After Ron had eaten his fill at his parent's house and agreed to bring home several casseroles and pies, the couple flooed back to their own home. Ron unfastened his pants and stretched out in a chair. He absently rubbed his stomach and spoke to their child. "Yes, you're full and happy now, aren't you? Your grandmother is an excellent cook, isn't she? Just wait until you're older, and you have your first Weasley Christmas at the Burrow. You wouldn't believe all the food she cooks. And all of your aunties, and uncles, and cousins will be there. It's quite the three-ring circus."

Hermione sat on the floor next to Ron and placed her hand on his stomach. "You're going to love it there, little one. And you will be loved by so many people, but especially by Mummy and Daddy. We love you so much already." She smiled at her beaming husband. "Well, you certainly ate enough for a family of five tonight. How's your tummy feeling?"

"It aches like mad, but I'm so happy I couldn't care less."

Hermione kissed him on the forehead, and grabbed his hand. "Come on, you look tired. Let's turn in early. You know, you'll have to talk to Shanks tomorrow morning about assigning you to a desk job. Are you ready for all of this?"

"Guess I'll have to be. I'd do anything for little Cleatus here."

"Cleatus? You can't be serious."

"We can't keep calling him or her 'it' or 'the baby', so why not Cleatus? Cleatus the fetus." He gave her one of his trademark smirks.

She laughed out loud at this. Only Ron would come up with a name like Cleatus for the baby. Perhaps everything was finally working out the way it was supposed to. The gift of life had been given to them, and she didn't plan on ever taking it for granted.

A/N: I know, this was extremely sappy, but since I've been building up to this for 8 chapters, I figured you deserved a little extra sappy goodness. I actually got this chapter out quicker than I thought I would, so hopefully this makes up a little for the long delay before. Again, many thanks to the lovely and talented betas, Michelleywelley and LJ Fan for their support.

procrastinator: Thanks, I'm glad you like it.

LJ Fan: Thanks for your suggestion. It made much more sense after I changed that part. I agree, Molly is awesome. She's the mother of all mothers, which is why I have such a good time writing her. No, I haven't seen any good movies in a while. It doesn't seem like there's been much out. I did watch "Love Actually" again though, and it always fills my need for sappiness.

Strayct: Well, I guess this chapter answered the question of what's wrong with Ron. I'm not done torturing poor Ron yet, but don't worry, it's all for a good cause!

Arwentheelf: Your wish is my command.

Ascamelien: I'm glad you liked it so much. My head is getting larger by the minute with all of the praise :) At least I didn't make you wait 3 months this time! See, I'm getting better (this week anyway).

priestess-of-suzaku: Keep reading (and reviewing) to find out. What would you like him to have?

Harrysmom: Thank you. I agree that's it's time for Ron to do something wonderful, as it bugs me to no end when he's only portrayed as the fool for comic relief. His character in cannon is so much more dimensional than he is in the movie versions. He would do anything for the people he loves, even if it means sacrificing himself. I think he is an all around wonderful guy, but that's not to say he won't still provide a little comic relief. That's why we love him! Hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Michelleywelley: Thanks for the suggestions - I had my issues with those parts too, and your comments were right on target. I'm waiting anxiously for pumpkin carvers next chapter. I changed my bio to list my favorite fan fics on other sites, and hers is the first one on the list (with a little endorsement from you as well). If you have any other suggestions for good stories, let me know. I'm always up for a good read. Oh, and you asked about "hold your wig". It's just something I made up, kind of like "don't flip your wig".

hp/charmed obsesed: Thanks again. I tried to be a little quicker this time :)

Satine-cm: I love having faithful readers! Did you mean "Junior"? That's the one where Arnold is pregnant. Yeah, that's the tone I'm trying to go for, rather than the typical Mpreg story. It didn't start off as anything like the movie, but as it goes on, there are certain similarities that keep popping up. Hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Huggles4All: Thank you so much. I'm trying to keep it a little different, but with so many fan fics out there, it's hard to be original

Rise2destiny: Hope this answers all your questions. Thanks for reviewing.

Penelope Richmond: Thank you so much! That was very nice of you. But I think you should still write your story - I'd love to read it. And if you need any firsthand info, I'd be happy to help.

Triniroo: Yes, he's finally preggers. Thanks for continuing to follow the story, hope you like it so far.

Bob Bennit: That's ok. I do that sometimes too. I'm glad you reviewed for this chapter, anyway. Keep any eye out for Delroy Amato, you may see him again.


	10. Changes

Chapter 10: Changes

A/N: I had a hard time coming up with a title for this chapter, but after I thought about where the story was going, I could only think of one song that would fit; "Changes" by David Bowie. This is the turning point for the story, and as the title suggests, everything will be changing from this point forward. Now that Ron is finally pregnant, the rest of the story will deal with the consequences of the pregnancy. I know I'm being a bit vague, and it's on purpose. Sorry. I promised a few people that I would get this chapter out by Christmas, and thanks to my Wonderbetas, I was able to keep my promise. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. Make sure your family and friends know how much you love them - that's the best present of all. See ya'll (yes, I'm a southern girl) again in 2005!

_The air was filled with smoke and the nauseating scent of death. The battle had been raging on for what seemed like hours. Actual time ceased to exist when you were fighting for your life. Hogsmeade had been attacked while Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and he had been shopping in the village for Christmas presents. What should have been a carefree day of shopping for loved ones had turned into a living hell. Death Eaters had apparated into the village without warning, and began torturing and killing everyone who crossed their path. He suspected they knew it was a Hogsmeade weekend for the Hogwarts students and were hoping to catch Harry in the village. Which, of course, they did. Now they were fighting for their lives and the lives of everyone else unlucky enough to be Christmas shopping that day. He occasionally looked over his shoulder to see if the others were alright and once or twice caught Hermione's eyes as she was doing the same. So far, they had held their own. Just as he was turning back around, he saw a Death Eater no more than a couple of feet away pointing his wand directly at him. Before he could level his own wand, the wizard had shot a curse at him that caught him in the left leg. Pain, like a white-hot poker, shot through his leg and he crumpled to the ground. Over his own cry of pain, he heard Hermione cry "NOOO! RON!" and he saw her running toward him. As she stood in front of him, he saw the second Death Eater's curse hurtling toward him. It happened as if in slow motion. As the curse flew toward him, Hermione dived in front to shield him from the second attack. The curse hit her in the stomach and she fell to the ground in front of him. He quickly cast a stunning spell at the Death Eater before crawling toward Hermione. His only thoughts were "please don't let her be dead" as he reached for her, placing her head in his lap. She was as pale as a sheet, and he couldn't tell if she was breathing. He gently stroked the side of her face, whispering "Please Hermione, wake up. I love you. Please don't be dead." She didn't move. The bile began to rise in his throat as he realized that she was dead. The smell of death was in the air, and it was overwhelming his senses. "Hermione! Come on, wake up."_

Ron awoke with a start. His hair was plastered to his face, and his hands shook. He realized that the nausea he had felt in his nightmare was real, as he clamped a hand over his mouth and ran for the loo. He just made it as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. As he heaved, he felt Hermione place a cold flannel to his forehead and stroke his back lovingly. Once he was sure he was finished, he flushed and leaned back against the opposite wall for support. He was still shaking when she wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you alright? I heard you moaning in your sleep and you yelled 'wake up' just before you ran in here. Were you having another nightmare?" Hermione knew that he still had nightmares occasionally from the war, but since his pregnancy, they had been much more frequent.

Ron took a deep breath to try to calm himself down. "Yeah, it was about that day in Hogsmeade. When I though you had..." He didn't want to say it out loud. That day was the worst of his life, when he thought that he had caused her death.

"Oh, darling. That wasn't your fault. You would have done the same for me or Harry or anyone you cared about. I'm the one who stepped in front of that curse, you aren't to blame." She stroked his damp hair back from his forehead.

"But if you hadn't been protecting me, you wouldn't have been hit with that curse, and your insides wouldn't have been damaged. You would be able to have children if it weren't for me."

"It's because of you that we're going to have a child now. If I hadn't done something, you might not have survived, and what good would it be for me to be able to have children if I couldn't have them with you." Ron's shaking had eased, and Hermione continued to run her fingers though his hair. "Now you need to stop thinking about this. It's obviously upsetting you, and that can't be good for the baby. Let's leave the past in the past. We have a wonderful future ahead of us." She kissed him on the forehead. "Now, if you're feeling better, why don't you come back to bed with me. It's far too early in the morning to be up."

Ron slowly pushed himself up off the floor, but as he did the color in his face drained again.

"Ron, are you alright?"

He shook his head from side to side. "I'm not feeling very well. Think I'd better stay here. Please go back to bed, love. There's no need for you to be missing sleep."

"We're in this together, remember? There's no need for you to suffer alone. I love you, Ronald Weasley, and our baby. I expect you would be here with me if our roles were reversed."

"Honestly, you don't need to watch me puke. I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own." He said, with a half-hearted smirk.

"Sorry, but you're stuck with me, through sickness and in health. Remember?" Ron's morning sickness had begun a few days after they learned that he was pregnant, and it had been hard on him. He was constantly nauseous.

"Hermione," he said weakly, "I..."

"Yes love, what is it? Can I get you anything?"

"I'm going to be sick." And as he continued for the next hour, Hermione stayed by his side taking care of him. As she rubbed his back, she thought to herself, 'This is going to be a long nine months.'

Once he had found out about the baby, Ron had told Lieutenant Shanks about his "condition". The look on Shank's face was a mixture of horror, disbelief, and sympathy, and if Ron had been a spectator in this conversation rather than a participant, he would have found it amusing. After a long pause to digest the information, Shanks told Ron that he understood and wished him well. Shanks also agreed to keep the information confidential, for obvious reasons, until Ron and Hermione decided to go public with their news. Shanks had reassigned Ron to a desk job, where he would go over intelligence reports looking for patterns or other valuable information that may have been overlooked. It was an important job in the Auror division, but one he found quite boring.

The worst part of the whole experience was that he was no longer Harry's partner. Ron and Harry had been partners since they first joined the squad, and for the first time the dream team had been separated. Hermione thought it would be good for them to get away from each other for a while and learn how to work with other people, but Ron wasn't so sure. For his part, Harry had been a trooper and had not once complained about the change. But Ron could see the loss in Harry's eyes. Things were changing, and neither of them knew if this change would be good. Harry had been assigned a new partner almost immediately. Her name was Samantha Ferguson and she had only been out of the academy for six months. Although she was inexperienced, her instincts for the job made her a natural. Harry got on with her well, as she had a wicked sense of humor that most found endearing. Ginny even approved of his new partner, which Ron found rather unsettling, as he had been sure that Ginny would be upset with Harry having a female partner. Sam, as she liked to be called (anyone who tried to call her "Fergie" would find themselves on the receiving end of one of her tripping hexes), was an attractive 21-year-old witch with sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a figure most women would envy. She was funny, outgoing, and full of life. Ron didn't like her.

Not that he had anything bad to say about her. It's just that she had taken on the roll of Harry's partner so quickly and with so little effort, Ron found it hard to not feel a little envious. He was the only "real" partner Harry would ever have, and this Sam person was just a temporary fill-in. Ron thought he would like her a little better if she were a little more flawed, or had a bad temper, or had a large wart on the end of her nose. No, this girl was just a little too perfect for his liking. Perhaps he would have taken to her better if his hormones weren't such a mess. Truth be told, he would have liked her if she had been the partner of anyone besides Harry.

It had been two weeks since Ron had found out he was pregnant, and he couldn't help but think it was going to be a long nine months. The only ones in the office who knew he was pregnant was Harry and, of course, Shanks. Rumors were going around almost immediately about why Ron was reassigned. He had overheard people talking, and apparently there were three main theories. The first was that Ron had screwed up so badly, that Shanks had pulled him for his own safety. The second was that he and Harry had some huge row that resulted in Ron asking for reassignment. The third was that he had some unknown disease that weakened him, and that he needed to have a desk job for his own health. Everyone had been asking him questions, trying to figure out which of the theories was correct and he wouldn't have been a bit surprised if there were wagers riding on it. He wasn't sure how people would actually react to the truth, but it would come out eventually. He and Hermione had decided to go to the media about the pregnancy after the first trimester, just to make sure that everything was going well until that point.

Ron was sitting at his desk, eating dry crackers, and trying to keep them down. Usually after his first bout of morning sickness, he would eat dry crackers until his hunger kicked in, and then he would eat like a starving man. This routine continued throughout the day, as he had to deal with several attacks of "morning sickness". Whoever named it that needed to feel his pain. It should be called "morning, afternoon, and night sickness" or "all the time sickness", as that would be much more accurate. His work pants were starting to get uncomfortably tight, and he mentally made a note to ask Hermione to charm them into a looser fit. His stomach was already starting to grow, not so that anyone else would notice with his robes on, but enough that his entire wardrobe no longer fit properly. He often had stomachaches along with his growing midsection, but as of yet, no one at work had noticed his condition. When they had the opportunity for a private moment, Harry would inquire about his health, but those times were infrequent these days, with each of them reassigned. Shanks was also concerned about Ron, but did not voice it, as he was determined to treat him the same as any other employee under his supervision. Ron couldn't help but notice that Shanks' face would take on a softer, almost fatherly appearance whenever he noticed Ron feeling under the weather.

At noon, Harry invited Ron along to lunch with Sam and himself. Ron jumped at the opportunity to go, not only because he was starving and missed his best friend, but he also welcomed the opportunity to keep an eye on Sam. Both Ginny and Hermione had told him he was being overly sensitive and irrational, and Harry had all but threatened him to keep his 'baseless accusations' to himself. They had decided to eat at a small sandwich shop in Diagon Alley. While Ron ordered two large sandwiches, some chips, and a milkshake, Harry ordered a roast beef sandwich, and Sam ordered a salad. That was one more thing to add to the list he was tallying in his head of _Reasons to Distrust Samantha Ferguson_: eats salads.

"Are you joking? Is that all you're going to eat? You'd hardly be able to fight off a Death Eater attack on a meal like that," Ron said incredulously.

Sam laughed. "I don't think I'll have to worry about any Death Eater attacks. Besides, I need to watch what I eat to stay in fighting form. I think you'll be eating enough for both of us, anyway," she said with another laugh. Ron seethed.

"So what are you trying to say?" Ron was trying hard to contain his anger, but Merlin, how this woman pushed his buttons.

"Ease up, Ron. You started it. She's just joking with you. Besides, no one can keep up with you and your appetite." Harry turned toward Sam. "He was well known at Hogwarts for his voraciousness. The house elves all knew him well from the number of times he snuck into the kitchens for a snack." Harry laughed, "I still remember the time we caught Winky and Dobby..."

"Alright, that's enough. I never wanted to think about that again, that you very much. I couldn't look at a turkey baster without having flashbacks for years." Ron's anger was abated for the moment. Damn that Harry Potter.

"You two really do have a great chemistry. Why did you decide to leave active duty, Ron? You and Harry were the 'dream team' according to everyone in the office," Sam asked, sipping on her glass of water.

"Harry's the best mate I could ever have, and I couldn't have asked for a better partner. I just needed a break, for personal reasons." This woman certainly was nosey as well. One more thing for the list.

"Personal reasons? What kind of reasons would make you want to give this up?" Sam asked casually.

"Personal ones," Ron said flatly. "But I haven't given it up, it's just a few months break and then I'm back on active duty. So don't get too comfortable in my position." Ron really didn't care if he was polite anymore.

"Well, guess I'll just have to learn from the best while I have the chance. You've really done me a favor, Ron. Thank you, and I promise I won't get too comfortable. I'm just glad I can work with Harry at all. It really is an honor." She was blushing now, which made Ron angry on behalf of his sister. This little girl was _flirting_ with Harry, and he was too dumb to realize it. Now more than ever he was convinced he would have to keep a close eye on her.

Harry, sensing the rising tension, decided to change the subject. "So Sam, why don't you tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, there's nothing too exciting I'm afraid. I was born in Hertfordshire, my mother is Bulgarian and my father is Irish, so you could say I'm a bit of a mutt." Ron added 'Bulgarian' to his list. "I have an older brother who works for Nimbus Racing Broom Company and a younger sister who's still at Hogwarts. I was a Ravenclaw, and played beater on the house Quidditch team."

"You were a beater?" Harry asked, while Ron simply raised an eyebrow.

"I know, hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true. I never let a bludger by me. Guess that's why I did so well on my Auror exams. Size is no indication of power, you know," she said with a smile.

"So, any men in your life?" Ron asked

"That's a bit personal, isn't it Ron?" she said as she took another sip of water.

"Didn't stop you from asking me, though, did it?"

Sam let out a hearty laugh. "No, I guess it didn't. But as I recall, you didn't answer me. Sorry, I'm a bit too nosey for my own good. No, I don't have anyone special in my life. No time, really."

Harry insisted on paying the bill, and as he left to pay the waiter, Sam turned to face Ron. "I like you Ron. You say whatever is on your mind. It's refreshing. I can see why Harry is such good friends with you. I hope someday you will consider me a friend as well. I promise to take care of him, and watch his back until you go active again."

"You'd better, because I've spent the last seventeen years breaking him in. I don't want to have to start all over again with another bloke."

Sam reached out to shake his hand, "I know what you mean. Good men are so hard to find. Looks like I lucked out and found two."

The weather seemed to have turned unseasonably cold in the hour they had spent in the sandwich shop, and he shivered as a cold wind blew through the open front door. He shook Sam's hand, giving her a lopsided grin. He still didn't like her, but he had to play nice for Harry's sake. It didn't mean that he wouldn't be watching her every step of the way though. Just in case.

A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think of the new character, Sam. I'm dying to find out whether you like her or not. Oh, I used a quote from PoA in Chapter 9 that read "Pity sugar makes it useless". I know that most of you knew that came from Lupin in PoA, but just in case...Again, many thanks to those of you who took the time to review the last chapter. Special thanks to Michelle and Aly - thanks for helping me to get this out before Christmas.

Arwentheelf: Thanks! Unfortunately, it had to be emotional and sappy, there was no other way to do it properly.

kendra is cheese: OK, I'll make more. Just twist my arm.

penguingirl266: Harry may be a bit stressed, but Ron is much more stressed now that Harry has a new partner.

Strayct : I love getting your faithful reviews. Thank you for the kind comments.

luvsdabook : I love Lupin too.. LOL. That was one of my favorite quotes from Prisoner of Azkaban.

harrysmom: Well, Ron's temper is starting to flare a bit, especially with Sam. I'm afraid this is just the beginning :) I'm glad you like it so far.

Kathythetwisted: Welcome back. I shamelessly stole "Cletus the Fetus" from a bit these 2 radio DJ's used to do in Richmond, VA. It was a husband and wife team, and she was pregnant. So they kept referring to the baby as Cletus the Fetus. There was even a little song that went along with it. It was absolutely hilarious, and it made the morning commute a little easier. And that is how little Cletus came to be.

priestess-of-suzaku: Boy and girl twins, huh? Guess we'll have to wait and see what the stork brings.

Huggles4All: Thank you so much. It really made my day to read that you liked it so much. Hope you continue to enjoy it as much.

clothespeg-rules: Any review is a good review! I love them, keep them coming.

La'Ruelia: Not to worry, there will be no naming the child Cletus (Cletus Weasley, can you imagine? The poor thing...). See the note above for Kathythetwisted about Cletus' origins. Unfortunately, I moved away from Richmond before I found out whether "Cletus" was a girl or a boy.

michelleywelley: The funny thing is I read your review for chapter 9 while I was on vacation in the Carribean. Nothing like checking e-mail while it's sunny and 95 degrees outside! I wish I could have a little of that weather now - it's snowing as I type this. Thanks for all your help and encouragement and allowing me to share your brain (we do seem to think alike, don't we?). Hope you like this ending better - I know I do. Talk to you soon.

hp/charmed obsesed: Wicked! I just had to put that in. :) I'm trying to update a quickly as I can, but life keeps getting in the way. I'll try my best.

Penelope Richmond: Wow, 2 ongoing fics at the same time. I have a hard enough time with one. LOL. Thanks for the review.

Bob Bennit: Aw, you are loved, baby. So, in your story, do you mean Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all three pregnant? Wow, that's a hormone explosion waiting to happen. LOL. I'd love to read it when you're finished. Sounds very intriguing.

Ascamelien: Thank you so much for the review. Yeah, a few people have said they like the Cletus part. See some of the notes above for more on his origins. Ever since I heard the Cletus the Fetus song, I thought that I would call my baby that when I became pregnant. Well, it turns out that Ron became pregnant before me, so he gets the honor of using "Cletus the Fetus". Someday I will have my very own Cletus, but until then I'm glad other people find it as cute as I did.

triniroo: Unfortunately, some women were built for it more than others. Poor Ron, he's just going to have to adjust. I like your idea of the sign. Maybe it should read, "Men - don't try this at home" or "Don't say we didn't warn you".

Z-Loca-Grl: Thanks for the review. I'll update as often as time permits.

Clara022292: I'm so glad you like it. Don't worry, I've got at least another 6 chapters and an epilogue planned - the length keep increasing, so there might be more than that. I'm posting this as it gets written, so sometimes the updates will be quicker, but other times there will be a month or two in between chapters. Unfortunately I'm limited by time, and sometimes by inspiration, but both usually come to me at some point. I promise I won't abandon the story. Hey, I kept my promise and updated before Christmas. Aren't you terribly impressed?


	11. You May Be Right

A/N: It's me again. Hope everyone had wonderful holidays and are working diligently on those New Year resolutions (yeah, right). I am actually working on one of mine - I'm trying to teach myself how to play the guitar. It's very slow going, but I'm determined. Enough about me. The title is from the Billy Joel song. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 11: You May Be Right

The next month passed quickly for everyone but Ron. Between the bouts of nausea and vomiting, he tried to get his work done. People were starting to notice his quick dashes to the loo, but no one said anything about it to Ron's face. Harry covered for him, saying that he had eaten some bad fish, but that excuse wouldn't last much longer. Ron looked exhausted, so everyone assumed he was ill. Ron's co-workers still did not have a definitive answer as to why Ron took the desk job, but the most popular rumor was now that he had some sort of dreadful illness. Given Ron's morning sickness, it seemed the most plausible explanation.

One morning, after Ron had paled and ran for the nearest bathroom, Harry had followed him in. When Ron emerged from the stall, Harry handed him a glass of water. Ron took it with a shaking hand, and muttered a "Thanks, mate" before slowly drinking. Harry took a good look at his friend's face, and noticed the beads of sweat that had broken out on his forehead and the dark circles under his eyes.

"Feeling better?" Harry asked his pasty friend.

Ron managed to send him a glare before replying "Yeah, loads. Considering I'll be at it for another 2 hours, if the rest of this month has been any indication."

"No need to bite my head off. I was just worried about you. You look like hell." Harry wasn't used to Ron being vulnerable, which is the best word he could use to describe his friend at this point.

"Sorry. I'm just tired of feeling like shite all the time. My nightmares are back so I'm up half the night, I'm always sick, and everything hurts. Feels like the flu that won't go away. Oh, and my stomach has gotten so big, that every pair of pants I own is too tight, even with Hermione enlarging them." To prove his point, Ron lifted his robes.

Harry hadn't actually seen the evidence of Ron's pregnancy before, except for the sickness. Now with Ron holding his robes at chest level, Harry could see the waistband of Ron's pants stretched beyond what could be comfortable, and the top button was undone. Ron's stomach, which had gone unnoticed in his wizard's robes, was clearly swollen now. Harry remembered when Ginny was pregnant, and her stomach had been about that large when she was four months along. Ron was not quite six weeks into this pregnancy, and he was already getting large. Harry wondered how big his friend was going to be before all was said and done.

"Merlin's beard! Ron, I had no idea it was that big. What's it feel like?"

"It bloody well hurts, that's what. It's bad enough the little bugger makes me sick everyday and gives me stomachaches, but now I can't even fit into my ruddy pants." Ron rubbed a hand over his swollen belly.

"Well, my friend, what did you honestly expect? You're pregnant, your stomach's going to get big." Harry was trying hard not to laugh at his friend, as that would have made Ron's mood even worse.

"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT! I just didn't expect it this quickly. I guess I hadn't even thought what I was going to do about clothes." Ron looked down at his shoes, and if Harry didn't know better, he would have sworn that Ron was trying hard not to cry. Having grown up without much money, and having to wear hand-me downs, he had always been a bit self-conscious about what he wore.

"Ron, I don't underst...ohhh." Harry suddenly realized why Ron was upset. It's not like he could just go into a bloke's maternity shop and find what he needed. Ron was the first. There wasn't a bloke's maternity shop, and it wasn't like he was going to be wearing women's maternity clothing. "Why don't you just ask your mum to make you some clothes? Or Hermione?"

Ron looked at Harry as if he had two heads. "Mum would love it, and I'd be wearing cutesy jumpers with 'Baby on Board' stitched into them or pants with lacy cuffs. I love Mum, but there's no way I'd let her make my clothes. And as for Hermione, well, let's just say that my wife is brilliant at many things, but making clothing is not one of them. She can enlarge and shrink them well enough, but the last time she tried to make a jumper, it had three arms."

Harry looked puzzled. "But she used to make all of those elf hats. I thought she could knit."

Ron sighed. "Yes, she can knit hats. They're round, no arms or legs to have to work with."

Harry tried to think of what Ron's options were. "You could always ask the twins to come up with a line of clothing..." Harry paused his train of thought. Who would trust the twin's clothing line? The shirts would likely tickle you when you least expect it, and he shuddered to think what the pants would do. "Sorry, that's a truly bad idea. "You could ask Ginny. I'm sure she'd be able to think of something."

"Gin's been wonderful. I don't want to keep pestering her for stupid things like this. You two have your hands full with your own family. Don't worry, I'll figure something out."

"Don't be stupid. You're a member of our family too, you know. Hey, what if we went to Saba's House of Large and Tall? Maybe we could get you clothes to fit your waist, and then Hermione could take them in everywhere else?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. In fact, I think I'll go there tonight after work. Thanks, mate." Ron gave Harry a smile, and clapped him on the back. Harry was glad to see his friend looking better than he had all day.

"Well, that settles it. I'll come with you, and we can grab a bite to eat after."

The two had agreed to meet at 4:30, when the door to the loo opened. A pretty blonde stepped through the threshold.

"What are you two doing in here for so long? Someone said Ron was sick, and you came to check on him." Sam asked Harry, and then turned to Ron, appraising his condition.

"Alright there, Ron? You do look a bit peaky; maybe you should go home. I was just concerned and...Good Lord! What's going on with your stomach?"

Ron glanced down and realized his robes were still up around his chest. He quickly put them in place, and replied, "Nothing. Just put on a bit of weight." Of all people to walk in at that moment. Then he remembered. "Hey, what are you doing in the men's loo? Get out!"

"I told you I was concerned when I heard you were ill. I came to see if you were alright when Harry didn't come back. And that is not a little bit of weight. That's a lot of weight, and it's all in your stomach." She paused for a moment, and then a look of comprehension came across her face. "I don't know how, but you're pregnant, aren't you?"

All the color drained from Ron's face, and he felt light headed. This was so not happening. Especially with this woman. He struggled to keep his tone even. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course not. That's impossible."

Harry, who looked like he had been struck over the head, recovered and stated, "Don't be stupid. He can't be pregnant; he's a bloke. He's just put on a bit of weight now that he's at that desk job."

"I know a pregnant person when I see one, and Ron is definitely pregnant. It all makes sense now. Why he gave up being your partner, why he's looked so tired, and why he's been sick so often. When I saw your stomach, it all clicked. I'm not stupid you know. How long did you think you could keep this a secret. By the looks of that belly, your secret is going to be out in no time."

Ron put his head in his hands. This wasn't happening. His head was spinning and he felt ill again. As if to confirm Sam's suspicion, he ran for the stall.

Harry held out another glass of water when Ron emerged again. Ron took it gratefully. Sam's eyes softened when she looked into Ron's eyes, and she laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't mean to upset you. Obviously, you're not ready to share this yet, and I promise I won't say a word. But I have to ask - why?"

Ron sighed, resigning himself to the fact that the one person he would least like to know of his condition now knew. He might as well spill the information now, for all the good it did him to hide it. "My wife was unable to carry a baby because of injuries she received in the war. We tried for years with no luck. My sister, Harry's wife, is a healer and she's been working on infertility treatments for hopeless cases. I'm the first human guinea pig, so to speak. Obviously, it worked. Look, my wife and I know we can't keep this a secret forever, but we don't want to share the news with the world until after the first trimester. If we were to lose the baby and everyone knew about it, it would be even more devastating. So, only our family and Shanks know."

Sam smiled a sad smile, and hugged Ron, to his surprise. He quickly patted her on the back and hoped she would release him soon. "So, you're going to carry the baby because your wife can't? That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard. I'd like to help you any way I can. All you have to do is ask."

Harry could see the frustration on Ron's face. He knew that Ron hadn't warmed up to Sam yet and now that she knew his secret, well, it was unfortunate that Sam had to be the first one outside of the family to know. Harry knew it wasn't good for Ron's health to get upset, so he tried to smooth things over. "Look, Ron needs to stay as calm as possible. I don't want anyone upsetting him because his pregnancy is high risk enough, without all the outside stress. We're going clothes shopping tonight to get him things that fit. I'd appreciate it if you would keep everything you learned here today to yourself."

"Of course. I do understand. Can I help you with the shopping? I'm very good at picking out what looks best on people, and I promise that no one will be suspicious with a woman along. Two men clothes shopping, by themselves, is a little attention getting. Besides, it won't take very long if you have an experienced shopper with you."

"She has a point, Ron. What do you think?"

Ron didn't want to admit it, but Sam was right. There was no one he wanted less to spend time with, but she already knew. What was that muggle saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? At least he could keep an eye on her if she were with him. "Sure, why not. Let me owl Hermione and let her know what we're doing tonight. I'm sure she won't mind."

Ron had to admit that Sam did know what she was doing when it came to shopping. She took charge, and picked out some stylish looking shirts and pants that actually fit. Even though the rest of the clothes were too big, she shrunk them to fit smartly. She also placed a clever charm on the clothing to automatically expand with Ron's stomach, but that made him look thinner than he was. When he asked her about the charm, she said that she had helped a pregnant friend once with the same charm. Ron hated to admit that she had been helpful with the whole thing, which annoyed him to no end.

Now that Sam knew about the pregnancy, Hermione and Ginny insisted on inviting her over for the weekly Weasley Sunday dinner. The girls felt sorry for Sam, being alone and not having any close friends in the area. Ron tried to convince Hermione to let him stay home, but it was like trying to convince the wind not to blow. So Ron resigned himself to spend his Sunday with his family and the intruder.

Ron watched Sam closely throughout the afternoon. She complimented Molly on her cooking, hit it off with his brothers and sisters-in-law, and even played with his nieces and nephews. Ron concluded that his family, the whole lot of them, were a bunch of traitors. He couldn't understand how they had accepted this woman into their ranks so quickly, when he, Ron, wouldn't trust her to take care of a houseplant.

Ron was broken out of his musings on Sam by the twins, who each had a grin on their face. Ron knew he was in trouble.

"So, Ronnie, how are you feeling?" asked George.

"Yeah, how's that morning sickness anyway? I heard it's dreadful," said Fred

"Poor ickle Ronnikins. Is your tummy bothering you?" asked George.

"Of course it is dear brother. Just look how big it's getting. It's bothering me too," said Fred, snickering.

From across the room, Ginny heard her twin brothers and was beginning to get annoyed. "Oy, you two. Leave him alone."

"Relax, Gin. We're just having a bit of fun with our poor knocked up little brother," said George.

"Oh, does ickle Ronnie need his baby sister to stand up for him?" said Fred.

"Shut up, you prats," Ron said lamely. He didn't want Sam to see the mickey taken out of him, not when he was busy trying to keep an eye on her.

"Is that the best you've got? Come on now, little brother. Surely you can do better than that," said George.

"Maybe the hormones have addled his brain. Or maybe it was his fourth helping of pie," said Fred.

Ginny's face was red when she addressed her brothers again. "I'm warning you two. Knock it off."

Ignoring their sister, they continued. "Ron, you'd better watch how much you're putting away. You'll get so fat you won't fit through the door."

"Too right, George. Ronnie is on his way there now," Fred said, laughing.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Ron wasn't in the mood for them today, and they were really pushing his buttons. Ron's ears were scarlet, and he could feel the hot tears behind his eyes. He thought to himself, 'Please, not now, not in front of everybody.' Ron tried desperately to keep the tears at bay. How did women deal with these mood swings?

Ginny was watching Ron closely, and was worried that the twins would add to Ron's stress. When she saw his eyes getting moist, she lost it. "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT." Ginny pointed her wand at Fred and George and said the incantation, "Parvulus Transmitto Sensus". A white light emitted from her wand and struck the twins in their faces. The room was as silent as the grave.

Molly came rushing out of the kitchen when she heard the incantation. "Ginevra! What on earth have you done?"

Ginny was still quite angry, and continued to glare at her twin brothers, ignoring her mother for the moment. "How dare you! You think this is just so funny, don't you? Do you think what he's going through is easy? Ron needs to stay calm for the baby, and you are NOT HELPING. I've never been ashamed to be your sister until now. This was low, even for you two. Well, since you think this is one big joke, we'll see just how 'funny' you think it is when the shoe's on the other foot!"

"Wh...what do you mean?" George asked, nervously. "We didn't mean any harm, honestly. We were just treating him like we always have. What did you do to us?"

"I placed the Parvulus charm on you. You'll go through a type of sympathetic pregnancy, so you'll have some idea of what it feels like to be pregnant. I use it in my practice with expectant fathers so they understand what their mate is going through. It will only last a week, but I think that's long enough for you to learn some sensitivity." Ginny turned away from Fred and George, and went to Ron's side. "Can I talk to you in the other room?"

Ron, who was still speechless from the events of the last couple of minutes, followed his sister into the other room. She could be quite scary when angry, and he didn't want to risk her wrath. Once they were alone, Ginny began. "I'm so sorry about that, Ron. I shouldn't have lost my temper, but they were completely out of line. Are you feeling alright? I saw that you were getting upset. Do you feel any pain or pressure?"

"No, I'm alright. A bit embarrassed in front of our, um, guest, but otherwise I'm feeling okay. Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. By the way, thanks for that. It was bloody brilliant."

"Well, I couldn't let them get away with it. I have a feeling you'll get an apology from them after this spell wears off. I'm sure they didn't intend to upset you, they just thought they were being funny. I don't think they'll be laughing about pregnancy over the next week, anyway. Listen, I need to be honest with you. I can't stress enough how important it is for you to remain as calm as possible. You could be endangering the baby and yourself if you aren't careful. This includes dropping your dislike of Sam. She has only tried to be kind to you, and you've been nothing but rude to her since you first met. I don't know what you have against her, and frankly I don't care. Get over it Ron. It's not good for you or the baby." Ginny kissed her brother on the cheek, and went back to join the rest of the family now that she was calmer.

Ron seriously thought about what Ginny had said. Sam really hadn't done anything to him. In fact, she had really gone out of her way to be nice to him, and all he had done was to throw it back in her face. Maybe he was being unfair. He couldn't explain why he didn't like her, only that he had a bad feeling about her. Perhaps it was his jealousy over her role in Harry's life now. Whatever it was, he needed to 'get over it' as Ginny suggested before it affected the baby.

Ron walked through the back of the Burrow to go outside for some fresh air. While he was standing there taking in the cool evening air, he heard someone walk up behind him. His instincts took over immediately, and he whipped around while reaching for his wand.

"Hey, sorry, it's just me. Guess I should have announced my presence before coming up behind you." Sam had apparently been sneaking outside as well. "Are you feeling alright?"

Ron took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just another fun family get-together. Welcome to the Weasley Circus."

"I really like your family, Ron. They seem to really get along with each other, even when they're teasing you. I can tell there's a lot of love there. You really are very lucky."

"I know. I have to remind myself of that sometimes - especially with Fred and George around."

"Family is the most important thing there is. Blood will always be thicker than water. I understand you lost two brothers in the war?"

"Yeah. Charlie and Percy." Ron couldn't understand why she was talking about this. He didn't like to talk about losing his brothers, even after all these years.

"Sorry to hear about that. War tears families apart, and many good people are lost long before their time. Did you catch the ones responsible for killing your brothers?"

Ron really didn't want to continue this particular conversation. It was just too painful to relive. "Sorry Sam, but I really don't want to talk about this. It was a long time ago, but it still hurts. I need to concentrate on this new life, not the ones that were lost."

An odd look passed over Sam's face, and her eyes flashed for a brief moment. "Right, sorry. Anyway, I guess you should be getting back inside. You'd better be careful, Ron. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you or the baby."

An arctic chill swept over Ron so quickly, he would have sworn that he had fallen into an ice-covered lake and someone was holding his head beneath the surface.

A/N: Much love to the lovely and talented beta team of LJFan and Michelleywelley who had this chapter beta-read in record time. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, it really does make my day.

Arwentheelf: So you don't like Sam, huh? You must be siding with Ron, because it looks like the others like her.

penguingirl266: Now we have a vote FOR Sam. People were pretty much divided on how they felt about her, but she will prove herself one way or the other pretty soon.

Michelleywelley: I look forward to more long e-mails from you letting me know how you're doing. I can't believe how fast you had this chapter done! I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon, but I just wanted to say thanks again.

La'Ruelia: Thanks so much for reading. Glad you like it.

Triniroo: Something that will never change about Ron is his jealousy, which is one of the things that I love about him. He feels what he feels, and doesn't apologize for it. Yes, he's extremely jealous of Sam, but he hasn't been replaced other than at work. Perhaps he's afraid of Sam taking over in other parts of his life too, or maybe it's something else altogether. Thanks for being one of my most loyal reviewers. It really does help me to write even when I don't feel like it.

Clothespeg-rules: Thanks again. Glad you're enjoying it.

Missy: Thank you! I'm a huge music geek, so I get to indulge that a little by choosing song titles for the chapters. It's time consuming to find the right song, but when I do find the right one, it usually fits perfectly. For example, the title of this chapter can be taken a couple of different ways. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Strycat: The Dutch delegate is voting in favor of Sam, with the provision that she not be a home wrecker. Sorry, but I can't make any promises. All is fair in love and fan fiction. :)

huggles4all: Thanks again. Yes, you did make me smile. :)

romanceFreak: Thanks, I'm looking forward to writing more of Sam and her interactions with Ron. Yes, he certainly has something to worry about now, at least he thinks he does. I can't give anything away, but she will play a pretty big role in the next couple of chapters.

b2bbrules3326: Thanks for reading both of them! Although I must say, this one has been much harder to write, but I am quite happy with the way it's turned out so far. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

Hp/charmed obsessed: Ron really is having a rough time at the moment. Opinion is pretty much split down the middle with those who like Sam and those who don't. Glad you picked up on the Bulgarian comment - Ron still isn't too chuffed about Krum, even after all this time. The 6th book will be out before we know it. It just seems like forever until July. Thanks again for always leaving me a review.


	12. Twice as Hard

A/N: Some of you thought that Fred and George were cruel in the last chapter and therefore out of character. They didn't intend to be cruel. They were simply teasing Ron like they always have. But as sometimes happens with family, the line between playful teasing and hurt feelings is a thin one. Molly had banned them from bothering Ron when they were waiting to find out if the procedure was successful, so they were making up for lost time.

For anyone that wanted to know, 1 stone 14 pounds

Finally, for those of you who missed Hermione in the last chapter, this one is for you.

Chapter 12:

Ron and Hermione were back in the waiting room at Ginny's office for their 14-week check-up. Thankfully, Ron's nausea had abated somewhat, although he still felt ill throughout the day. At least the vomiting had stopped, for which he was eternally grateful. He could now say that he was in the second trimester of the pregnancy, which Ginny had said would be the most dangerous for miscarriages. While he was finally feeling a bit better, his appetite had increased exponentially. He was always hungry, and had gained a stone already. His stomach was quite pronounced now, although his robes hid the majority of it. Most people thought he had just put on a bit of extra weight around the middle.

Hermione was staring at Ron's stomach when he turned to look at her. "What are you doing?"

"I was just wondering what it feels like, to be pregnant I mean." Hermione said, as she smiled at her husband.

"You could always have Ginny put that spell on you that she used on the twins," Ron said, smirking.

"I've thought about it, although I think she put a bit too much magic into Fred and George's spell. They were absolutely miserable, begging Ginny to lift it after a day."

"Yeah, poor blokes," Ron said sarcastically. "Must be terrible to be sick day and night and be that bloated. Seeing them in Mum's old housedresses, since they couldn't fit into their own clothes, was bloody fantastic. I wish I could have seen them crying like babies, though."

"Don't be mean, Ron. They did apologize to you, after all," Hermione scolded, as she folded her arms across her chest.

"That's only because Ginny made them before she would lift the spell. I won't forget the look on their faces as long as I live." Ron said, smiling to himself.

"You never did answer me," Hermione said, breaking Ron out of his memory of the twins' ordeal.

"Oh, you mean about what it feels like?" Hermione nodded. "Well, now that I'm not puking all the time, it feels a bit like I swallowed a brick. There's a sort of heaviness in my stomach, and I'm tired from hauling this extra weight around. I can't really tell anything else yet."

Hermione was about to say something when the mediwitch called them back to the examining room. After a brief examination, Ginny had the results for ready for them. "Well, everything looks good. What do you think of twins?"

"Funny you should mention Fred and George. Hermione and I were just talking about..." Ron began to explain, but Ginny cut him off.

"No, not _the twins_. I mean twins, as in _your twins._" Ginny said as she smiled at the couple.

Ron still looked confused, but Hermione knew what Ginny was trying to say as her eyes widened in shock. "You're sure? You couldn't be making a mistake could you?"

"What are you on about? What about twins?" Ron said, still trying to figure out what was going on.

Hermione smiled at her clueless husband, and spoke in a soft, comforting voice, "Ron, Ginny said we're having twins. Isn't that wonderful?"

Ron thought he was dreaming, and was about to wake up at any minute. "Twins?"

"Yes, darling. Twins." Hermione was positively beaming as she wrapped her arms around him.

The next few minutes were a blur as Ron tried to process this new information. He knew that this was a possibility, but never really thought it would happen to them. When Ron came to his senses, he noticed that Hermione was there holding his hand and stroking his hair. They were going to have twins. Fate was a strange companion indeed.

Ginny explained the increased risks to the pregnancy now that they were dealing with a multiple pregnancy. Ron was to take it easy, reduce the stress in his life, blah, blah, blah. Ron had heard this enough over the last 3 months to know what was expected of him.

As they were preparing to leave the office, Hermione and Ginny began to discuss their upcoming trip to Barbados, an island in the West Indies. Apparently, there was a wizarding resort on the east coast of the island that was supposed to be one of the finest in the world. Mrs. Weasley had suggested that the two women go on holiday before the baby was born, just a girl's weekend away. Molly would watch James, and Ron would stay with Harry for a bloke's weekend. They were scheduled to leave in six weeks and both women were quite excited to spend a few days in the carribean.

Two weeks later, Ron and Hermione stood outside the entrance to the Witch Weekly headquarters. Now that the pregnancy was in the second trimester, Ron's secret would be obvious to everyone soon. So to get their version of the story in the press rather than half-truths and lies, they had decided to tell their story to the magazine. Rita Skeeter had been working for WW for the last couple of years, and Hermione thought it would be good to give the exclusive to her. Hermione reasoned that Rita would be well aware of the possible consequences for betraying any agreement that was set up, and could therefore be trusted enough to get the story straight.

The reception witch escorted them to Rita's desk, and told them that Rita had just stepped away and would be back momentarily. Within a few minutes, Rita returned with a coffee cup in one hand and reading the Daily Prophet, which was clutched in the other hand. Rita had obviously not seen them yet. Hermione cleared her throat to alert her to their presence. Rita began, "Yes, may I help..." as her eyes focused on the couple sitting in front of her desk. Rita jumped, spilling coffee down the front of her white blouse. "YOU! What are you doing here?" Rita spat, with her eyes narrowed at Hermione.

Hermione simply smiled at the woman, and in her calmest voice stated, "How lovely to see you again too, Rita. We're just fine, thank you for asking. It's been quite some time since we've seen you. Hope all is well with you and yours." Before Rita could utter a word, Hermione continued, "Good. We have a bit of a proposition for you, if you're interested. And I think you will be."

"I hoped I'd never see the likes of you again, Ms. Bossy Boots. I don't want anything you have to offer." Rita glared at Hermione, apparently oblivious to the fact that Ron was in the room. "Good day to you." Rita stood, intending to march the couple out of her office.

"Oh dear, Rita. It seems you and I have gotten off to a bad start. You were most helpful with that article about Harry in The Quibbler back in our fifth year. I believe that was the most popular article ever written for that magazine. Seems to me that's what got you the job here, if I'm not mistaken. I just thought that you would jump at the chance to get another exclusive story before the rest of the world. It could be the most important article you've ever written." Hermione hoped that she was pushing all the right buttons, and seeing the look on Rita's face, she was sure that she was. "But I guess you don't care about the fame and prestige that would come from such an exclusive. Come on Ron, I'm sure Allison Hurst would jump at the chance to write this story." Hermione started to rise from the chair, but was stopped by Rita placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back down.

"Now, don't get your panties in a twist. What kind of exclusive are we talking about? It's not as if Harry Potter is big news anymore." Rita sat on the edge of her desk across from Hermione, and folded her arms across her chest in the manner of one trying hard not to seem too interested.

Hermione knew that Rita couldn't resist the allure of getting an exclusive on something, especially with the threat of the story going to her bitter rival, Allison Hurst. "It has nothing to do with Harry. This has to do with a medical procedure that could revolutionize magical medicine and provide hope to people who had none. But that's all I'm going to tell you until we come to an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" Rita said skeptically.

"Well, more of an agreement. You agree to print the story as we tell it, and we get to see the story before it goes to print. Not that we don't trust you." Ron snorted, and Hermione gave him a stony look before continuing. "It's just that the parties involved work in, shall we say, sensitive areas and we don't want to reveal anything to jeopardize their work. In return, you get the exclusive story from the participants themselves. I'm sure once the story breaks, reporters from all over the wizarding world will be reporting on the procedure, but only you will have the first-hand report from the participant."

Ron watched his wife in amazement. She really was the most brilliant witch he had ever known. Of course the story would be everywhere, but by limiting their interviews to one reporter, they could control what personal information was released. They would make sure the truth was published, rather than gossip and rumors by letting the world know that only Rita Skeeter had the true story. Ron was sure that Rita would jump at the chance.

"Alright, but what's to stop me from publishing something that you don't approve of, Mrs. Weasley?" Rita was looking at Hermione over the top of her glasses, with a smug expression.

"Well, for one, you wouldn't get another chance to interview the client. And secondly, before I give you one more scrap of information, you will have to sign this contract, outlining what we just discussed." Hermione pulled a roll of parchment from her purse, and smoothed it out on the desk. "Before you sign, you should know that it's been charmed. If you break the contract, I and everyone who sees you will know."

Rita paused with her acid-green quill in her hand, and shot Hermione a withering look. "What have you done to it?"

"Let's just say that I have experience in these matters, and a breach of contract on your part would be quite literally, painful and embarrassing to you." Hermione tried to hide the smirk that tugged at the corners of her mouth when she thought of what would happen to Rita if she were to go back on the agreement.

Rita stared at Hermione with a mixture of shock, anger, and awe. After a moment of contemplation, she signed her name on the parchment. "Fine. But this had better be worth it."

Ron was helping Hermione to pack for her trip to Barbados with Ginny. They were set to leave in the morning by port key, and Hermione wanted to make sure she had everything packed before dinner. Ron was folding her clothes neatly on the bed.

"So what are you and Harry going to get into while we're gone?" Hermione asked while she packed her bathing suit into her bag.

"Not much really. Now that everyone knows about me being pregnant, it's not like I can really go out without being bombarded with questions. Not that I really want to go to the pub, since it looks like I swallowed a child's beach ball." Ron rubbed his stomach and felt something like a flutter.

"Whoa, what was that?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to rub his swollen belly. He felt the flutter again.

"What was that?" Hermione called from the bathroom.

"I felt something in my stomach."

Hermione ran into the bedroom where Ron was sitting, holding his stomach. "Ron, are you alright? Does something hurt?" She sat next to him and placed her hand on his stomach.

"No, it doesn't hurt, but I felt something like a butterfly in my belly. There, it did it again."

Hermione felt a faint ripple in Ron's stomach, but to her it felt a bit like a gas bubble. "Ron, that must be the quickening." She began to rub circles on his stomach.

"The what?"

"Honestly, Ron. The quickening. When you can first feel the babies move. Isn't it exciting?"

"Oh, so that's what that was. Cool." He looked at his stomach, waiting for it to happen again.

Hermione watched her husband with amusement. "This seems even more real now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, kind of. Up until now I've just been sick and fat. Now it really feels like there's something _alive_ in there."

"Two somethings. We should really start to narrow down our list of names." Hermione picked up the stack of clothes that Ron had been folding to put in her bag.

"As long as the name Samantha isn't on the list." Ron said offhandedly.

Hermione whipped around to glare at Ron. "Why is it that you can't just let things go? I know it's hard to watch Harry be partnered with someone else, but honestly Ronald, what has the woman done to you?"

"I get a bad vibe from her. You didn't hear what she said to me at the party. She said she wouldn't want anything to happen to me or the baby."

"So what's wrong with that? She was concerned about your health. Did she say it menacingly? Was she holding a knife you your throat at the time? Besides, she knew about our secret for some time now and didn't tell anyone. If she were really out to get you, she would have used that against you weeks ago. Instead, she was true to her word." Hermione had heard enough about the evil Sam to be completely fed up with Ron's wild accusations at this point.

"Well, no. It's not the words or even how she said them. I can't explain it. It's just a feeling I get when I'm around her. She's not who she says she is, I just know it." Ron couldn't understand why no one else saw this woman the way he did. There was just something off about her.

"And what proof do you have of that? Come on, I know you started checking on her background as soon as you met her. And what did you find out?"

"Nothing. But records can be changed. It's not conclusive…"

"No, Ron. Nothing about this is conclusive other than the fact that you don't like her for whatever reason. We're all tired of hearing about this, okay? You need to let this go. The stress it's causing you isn't good for you or the babies. I'm worried about your health, Ron. Please, do whatever you have to do to stop thinking about Sam. Stay away from her if you have to, but put an end to this torment you've created for yourself."

"Fat chance of that, since I see her everyday at work. And Harry's partnered with her. Aren't you the least bit concerned about that?" Ron's temper was flaring now and he could feel his blood pressure rising.

"Harry is an adult, and he can take care of himself. You, on the other hand, have two babies to worry about, who need you to take care of yourself and them. Honestly, you're making this twice as hard on yourself as it needs to be. Look at you. Your face is all flushed and I bet your blood pressure is through the roof. Come on, lie down." Hermione helped Ron to lie back and placed a pillow under his knees.

After a few minutes, Ron's coloring returned to normal and he felt calmer. "I'm sorry, love. I shouldn't get worked up like that. You're right; I'll try harder to stay calm."

Hermione wiped a stray tear off her cheek. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten into a row with you, but I think you needed to hear it. I'm very concerned about you. Maybe I shouldn't go this weekend."

Ron sat up in bed. "What? Don't be ridiculous. You need this break. I know how hard it must be looking after me all the time. I certainly wouldn't want the job." He flashed his famous grin, and she smiled back at him. "Come here." Ron wrapped his arms around her as she lay next to him.

"Are you sure? I can always go another time. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you or the babies and I wasn't here."

"Don't worry, love. Everything is going to be fine. Go and have a wonderful time."

The next day after the two witches had left by port key for their vacation, a set of eyes watched as Weasley walked into Potter's house with a suitcase. From the bushes, the eyes watched as the redhead passed in front of the front window and sat in an armchair in the living room talking to Potter. After a few minutes, the watcher suddenly disappeared and a small pop was heard in the bushes outside the home of Harry Potter.

A/N: I know, another cliffhanger. Be angry with me if you must, but hopefully the suspense will keep you wanting to read more. 

If you're wondering why I chose Barbados for the girl's vacation, it's because 1. It's one of my most favorite places in the world and 2. I am dreadfully tired of snow and cold, so imagining them on a hot, sunny beach transported me there mentally as well. Barbados has a long and rich history as a former British colony, and makes one of the finest rums in the world, Mount Gay Rum. The east coast of the island is rocky (with one of the most beautiful pink sand beaches I have ever seen) and less densely populated, so I thought that would be a perfect place for wizard holiday makers who wanted to get away from the Muggles. If you ever get the opportunity to go there, I highly recommend it.

Thanks again to all the readers and especially the reviewers. I really love to hear what you think about the story, whether you love it or hate it. I'm trying hard to keep to my once a month updates, but please bear with me if it ends up being a little longer. I promise I'll update as fast as I can. And as always, I have to thank my wonderful Betas – LJ Fan and Michelleywelley who had this beta-read in one day! You guys never cease to amaze me.

Arwentheelf: Ah, interesting question. I can't answer yet, but I promise you'll find out a lot more in the next chapter.

WMG: You're definitely on Ron's side I see. Are you absolutely sure about that?

Strayct: Poor Sam, she just can't seem to catch a break. At least Hermione likes her. I know you missed Hermione, so I hope this chapter made up for that.

Bob Bennit: I'll add you to the HoS club (haters of Sam) – the membership is getting larger all the time 

Penguingirl266: Favorite authors? (blushes) Thank you so much. Your review made my day. As for Forge and Gred, see my note at the top of the story.

Clara022292: To answer your question, the twins did tease Ginny a little when she was pregnant, but it was all in good fun. She wouldn't have expected any less from those two. But they didn't take it too far – remember they're somewhat frightened of her hexing ability, and they would have done well to remember that when it came to teasing Ron.

Clothespeg-rules: I've been meaning to ask you - how did you get that name? Anyway, thanks for the McDonald's commercial running through my head when I read your review. Although that's not nearly as bad as the Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper commercial that pops into my head at least once daily. "Phenomenon ba ba da da dub…"

La'Ruelia: I added the crying twins just for you. Sorry I couldn't put in a scene just about their experience, but I've already got this story outlined on how I want it to flow, and some things that aren't as important to the story get left out. If enough people are interested in the twin's brief experience with pregnancy, then I might do a one-shot outtake on it.

HugglesAll: The wizarding world is accustomed to accepting unusual happenings, but a male pregnancy is still quite a lot to take in. I briefly mentioned it in this chapter as an aside as to why Ron doesn't want to go out – people will be staring at him; kind of like Harry with his scar. I'll get more into the world's reaction later, but I didn't want to hold this chapter up any more than it already was. As for Sam, all I can say is that you'll find out more in the next chapter. Thanks for you comments about "At Last".

Hp/charmed obsessed: Yeah, I'm excited about HBP. I wonder who JKR is going to kill this time?

B2brules3326: Don't mess with Ginny! She can be a little scary when she wants to.

FuocoDeiDraghi: You made my day. I'm glad you like it so much. Sam is still an unknown at this point, but there are two distinct camps: those that think she's a good friend, and those who think Ron sees something in her the others don't. I promise you'll find out in the next chapter.

RomanceFreak: To answer all 3 of your reviews: ok, ok, ok!

Triniroo: Oh yeah, mood swing city. I would know, being the hormone queen myself. Ron's making life much harder on himself and everyone that cares about him in regards to his dislike of Sam.

Lucidity: Thank you so much. It means a lot coming from another woman who understands infertility to know that I've been sensitive to the subject. Before I started writing this story, I often thought "what if my husband could do this instead?" That would make life a little easier, don't you think? I read your profile and I was so happy to see that you're now a mother. Congratulations! How old is your child? Seeing other people that have been through what I'm going through and were successful gives me hope. Would you mind if I e-mailed you sometime? Sorry about not going into more detail on the twins, but it just didn't move the plot along. If you're interested in seeing a one-shot about the twin's sympathetic pregnancy, let me know. I've thought about doing a one-shot on it.


	13. Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Chapter 13: Bullet with Butterfly Wings

A/N: The title of this chapter is taken from the song of the same name by Smashing Pumpkins. I had this song in my head while I was writing this chapter, and it just seemed to fit.

The Caribbean sun was beating down on Hermione and Ginny, and they were soaking in as much of it as they could. "What do you want to do today?" Hermione asked, as she applied the sunscreen charm to her face.

"Absolutely nothing," Ginny sighed, rolling over onto her stomach and covering her head with a large beach towel. The two witches had been in Barbados all of 30 minutes before changing into their bathing suits and heading for the beach. They had not left to explore any part of the island in the two days since they had arrived, leaving the beach only to eat their meals and return to the room. Hermione was turning a lovely shade of brown, while Ginny, who preferred a stronger sunscreen charm, was a healthy pink owing to the fact that she rarely tanned given her fair complexion. The light in the carribean seemed somehow brighter than in the U.K. Even the sunniest day in England couldn't compare to the brilliant blue sky in the West Indies.

From the little that they had seen of the island, they could tell that it was truly paradise. The pink-sand beach, which seemed to stretch on forever, was surrounded on one side by cliffs that had been washed away over millions of years by the sea. The sand itself was the softest either woman had ever felt between their toes. It was a far cry from the rocky pebbles of the beaches back home. The ocean was a magnificent turquoise, so spectacular it hardly seemed real. At first, Hermione had thought that the hotel manager charmed the sea to make it seem so sparkling, but he assured her that it was indeed natural. Just watching the waves gently lap the shore was enough to make them forget any cares or worries they had when they arrived. Hermione had never felt so at peace before in her life.

The resort was completely private, owing to the fact that the location was a bit remote, and the beach had no access to the ordinary muggle. This made it an ideal location for a wizarding resort, because the patrons could simply apparate and disapparate to the beach at their leisure. A muggle looking at the property would only see an overgrown jungle of half-dead plants and rocky cliffs, thanks to the anti-muggle security measures. On the contrary, the resort itself was quite stunning, with its coral walls and marble columns. Ginny had commented on their first day that she had never seen so many species of flowers in one spot.

A Bob Marley song came over the wireless network and Ginny began nod her head and sing along to the words. "There's a natural mystic blowing through the air  
if you listen carefully now you will hear, this could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last, many more will have to suffer, many more will have to die - don't ask me why," Ginny sang. It was well known that while Bob had been very popular with the Muggles, he was in fact a wizard. He had been a leader in the resistance against you-know-who during the first wizarding war and had been killed by the dark lord personally. Since the muggles couldn't figure out what had killed him, they made up the story that he had died from cancer.

"This is just about perfect, don't you think?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, it is. I wonder what the boys are up to," Hermione thought aloud. A pop was heard and both women turned to see the bartender holding a tray with two colorful frozen drinks, each with a little umbrella on top.

"Here you are, ladies. A rum punch for you," he said as he handed Hermione the red drink, "And a BBC for you, ma'me. Can I get you anything else from the bar?"

Ginny took a sip of her creamy drink. "No Charles. I think these will hold us for a while."

"Very good. Call if you need anything." And with a pop, he had disappeared.

"Knowing those two, I imagine they've gotten themselves into some sort of trouble already. Probably burned the house down or something." Ginny took another long sip on her drink.

"I doubt it. Ron isn't up to getting into too much trouble these days. I bet the sink's overflowing though. Socks and underwear littering the house." Hermione thought back to the time when Ron and Harry had shared a small flat. She couldn't ever remember seeing the floor in that place.

"Well then, guess we'd better enjoy ourselves now. Who knows what we'll be coming back to?" Ginny closed her eyes again, facing toward the sun.

Harry and Ron sat comfortably in big squashy armchairs, listening to the Cannons game on the wireless. So far the Cannon's were only down by 20 points, which was quite amazing, considering that they had lost the last 5 games by an average of 150 points. Ron continued to have hope that they would rally back, but Harry was much more pessimistic about the Cannon's chances, although he would never dare utter this out loud in Ron's presence.

The two men had enjoyed the last two days without their wives, because they felt free to do what they liked, when they liked. For instance, the women surely would have scoffed at them sitting around, listening to the Quidditch match, when there were other things that needed tending to around the house. Like the pile of empty take-away containers currently littering the kitchen counter or the overflowing trash bins. The men reasoned that they could take care of all of the mess at once with the flick of a wand before their wives returned. Why waste precious minutes cleaning up as they went when they could do it once and be done with it? The only thing missing was the fire whiskey the two would have consumed in great quantities a few months ago when given the opportunity. However, with Ron pregnant, Harry felt it would be unfair to be pissed when his friend couldn't partake in the fun. Besides, it wasn't much fun being drunk alone. So here they were, surrounded by empty containers, listening to Quidditch, and generally doing as little as possible. It was as close to a perfect bloke's weekend as they could imagine.

The dimming light seeping in through the windows told Harry that it was now late afternoon, and approaching dinner time. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. "So, what do want to order tonight? I'm a bit peckish." Harry said, lazily stretching in his chair.

"Anything but Mexican. My stomach hasn't been right since the other night." Ron rubbed both hands over his large belly.

"You're telling me. You actually drove me from the room a couple of times, mate." Harry gave his friend a look somewhere between disgusted and impressed.

"Sorry, it's all the kids' fault. Guess they don't like bean burritos."

"That's it, start blaming it on the kids already. You know you won't be able to use that excuse when you actually hatch them."

"Hey, what good is it if I can't even use pregnancy as my defense? Besides, what kind of excuse are you going to use? You didn't exactly smell like a rose yourself."

Harry shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face. "What can I say? Guess Mexican didn't agree with me either. Hey, how about a pizza?"

"Sounds grand. With anchovies and peanut butter." Obviously, the strange food cravings had not stopped. Ron stood up from his chair, which took a little more effort these days with his growing belly. He began rummaging through the drawer that contained the menu for the Maggio's Magical Pies.

Harry screwed up his face upon hearing Ron's suggested meal. "Ugh, you do know that's disgusting, don't you? How about pepperoni and mushroom."

"Fine, but you have no sense of adventure. I'll put the order in."

Just as Ron was heading over to the fireplace, the head of Lt. Shanks appeared in the flames. "Potter, you there?"

Harry stood in front of the fireplace, surprised to see his boss on his day off. "I'm here. What's going on, Sir?"

"I know you're off duty today, but we just had a report that Delroy Amato has been spotted in London. I figured you'd want to be on the team to bring him in. Sam's here and ready to go, so get here as fast as you can."

"Yes Sir, I'll be right there." Without another word, Shank's head disappeared.

"Sorry Ron, you'll have to eat without me. This shouldn't take too long."

"I hate this, Harry. I should be there with you. Especially since it's my fault he got away last time." Ron's ears were red with anger and embarrassment over his fainting spell that gave Amato the time he needed to escape a couple of months ago.

"Listen, it's not your fault. Delroy's not dangerous, just stupid. It won't take long to round him up. Before you know it, we'll be working together again. I'm sorry about this, but I've got to get going." Harry said, a look of concern on his face for his friend.

"I know. I just wish it was me out there watching your back. Go on, I'll be fine." Ron's voice, however, had an edge of sadness to it. "Just be careful, Harry."

"Aren't I always?" Before Ron could answer, Harry had disappeared into the flames.

Ron couldn't help the feeling of foreboding that washed over him.

Harry and Sam had apparated to the area where Delroy Amato had last been spotted. With their wands at the ready, they carefully began to make their way into the abandoned building. Everything inside was pitch black, and the only sound was the echo of water dripping somewhere inside. They continued to move carefully along the narrow hallway, until they came to the junction of two more hallways.

"You take the one on the left, and I'll take the right," Sam whispered, as she turned toward the right hallway.

"Wait, this doesn't feel right. We should go together instead of splitting up," Harry whispered back in an urgent voice. "What if he's not alone?"

"And what if he hears us coming? There'll be no one to stop him if he goes another direction. We have a better chance of catching him if we split up." Sam had a look of resolute determination on her face.

Harry couldn't argue with her logic; they would be completely out of luck if Delroy heard them coming. He was at the advantage in this case by knowing the layout of the building. "Fine, but just be careful. If you get into trouble, activate your emergency alarm. I'll be able to find you with a locator spell."

Sam nodded, and disappeared into the inky darkness of the corridor as Harry made his way down the other hallway. Harry muttered the occulus nocturnes spell, allowing him to see in the dark, albeit with a strange green cast to everything. Without it, he was completely blind. There seemed to be many small rooms off the hallway, but so far there was no sign of the suspect. Harry had almost lost hope that Delroy had even been in the building when he noticed an empty take-away container lying on the ground outside of one room. 'Someone's definitely been here recently,' Harry thought to himself. As he carefully made his way into the room, he made note that there was one small window in this room that emitted a pale blue glow from the streetlamps down the street. Harry could barely make out a pile of rags, and what appeared to be a foot on top of them. He had obviously found Amato, and had managed not to wake him up. At last, he had caught the man who by sheer dumb luck had managed to always escape capture. 'Well my friend, looks like you luck just ran out,' Harry thought to himself.

Harry cast his wand into the air, shouted "finite incantatum" to end the night vision spell, and then "lumos", making the room very bright. Harry had to squint against the light until his eyes adjusted. Amato had obviously made himself at home, with a wireless radio, rags for a bed, and several boxes in the corner which must have contained his latest supply of Class 3 non-tradables. "Wake up Delroy. I can't believe you were dumb enough to stay in London, but you never were particularly bright. Come on, get up," he said, as he kicked Amato's foot. The man didn't stir. Harry looked at Amato more carefully, and realized that his eyes were wide open, as if in shock and a pool of blood had soaked the rags around his head. His throat had been cut, and he was very clearly dead.

Harry stared in disbelief at the man's body. Sure, Delroy Amato was a slimy git who never knew an honest day's work, but who would want to kill him? Surely Class 3 non-tradables were not worth killing over. And to have him die in such a horrible way when a simple killing curse would have been quicker and less messy. Either his murderer was a muggle, or someone wanted to make sure that his death sent a message. Harry couldn't help noticing the irony that Delroy Amato's luck had finally run out in the worst way possible.

Harry didn't notice the sound of soft footsteps coming up behind him as he was so engrossed by the crime scene. When he felt a presence behind him, he whipped around to be confronted by Sam. "Is he dead?"

"Yes. I found him like this a few minutes ago. I can't believe someone killed him though. He obviously bled to death." Harry stood transfixed, unable to take his eyes off the body.

"I know. I killed him," she said without the slightest trace of emotion in her voice.

Harry couldn't have heard what he thought he had just heard. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

"That's right, Harry. I killed him. His death was meant as a message. This is what happens to people who betray me." The Sam standing in front of him was not the woman he had known for the last couple of months. This person was heartless and a cold-blooded killer.

"I don't understand. How did you even know him?"

"I can see that you're confused, and I don't blame you. Expeliarmus!" Sam skillfully caught Harry's wand while keeping her own trained on him. "You won't mind if I just keep this," she said as she pocketed his wand.

"Let me start at the beginning. I was born in Hertfordshire to Marketa Zhivoin. My mother was a Bulgarian Quidditch player who was playing for the Hertford Hornets. I never knew my father, and all my mother ever said about him was that he was Irish and had a good sense of humor. My mother was a complex woman, you see. She was many things; a dancer, a good quidditch player, a loving mother, a talented musician, and a Death Eater. In fact, she was with the Dark Lord during his attack on Hogsmeade, a battle from which she did not return. She was killed by you and your friend Ronald Weasley. I was left an orphan at the age of 10, and adopted a short while later by the Fergusons. They were a nice enough couple and I got along alright with their son and daughter, but they weren't my real parents. I missed my mother terribly and I vowed to get revenge on you and Ron once I was old enough. I've waited a very long time for this Harry."

"I met Delroy Amato about a year ago, and I paid him to work for me. He wasn't very bright, but he was greedy and that worked to my advantage, at least for a while. He spied on you and Ron for me, so that I had as much information as I needed to get close to you. In the mean time, I was completing my Auror training so that I would be in a position to work near you. I couldn't imagine my luck when I found out that you needed a partner. I have gotten close to you and Ron and your families over the last couple of months. That is regrettable, but it doesn't change what I have to do. In another lifetime, we might have become friends."

"Ron was right about you all along. He kept saying there was something off about you, but none of us would listen." Harry didn't care if he made her mad. He needed to know the truth, now that it was becoming clear that she had fooled everyone. Well, almost everyone.

"Yes, well Ron certainly didn't make it easy on me. But I knew that if I blew off his accusations, everyone would just think he was jealous. I had to be the bigger person, coming off as almost perfect so that no would suspect my intentions. I'm surprised that Ron didn't uncover my true past, but the adoption was strictly confidential given my mother's background. I had intended to kill you both, but when I found out that Ron was pregnant, I couldn't do it. I would take the lives of more than just Ron – I would kill innocent children and despite what you think of me, I couldn't kill the innocent."

"You killed Amato, didn't you?" Harry wanted to keep her talking. Perhaps someone would come looking for them if things took too long.

"Believe me, Harry. He was far from innocent. He was scum, and you and I both know it. Besides, he was becoming a liability. All he had to do was keep an eye on you, and stay out of sight. The fool couldn't do it. In fact, he had just come from spying on you the other day when he met up with an old 'business partner', and he was seen by some ministry worker. I knew that if he was caught, he would rat me out to save himself. I was so close to finishing what I had planned at the age of 10. So I had to kill him."

"Do you intend to kill me like him? What about my wife, my child, my family? You said you became close to them." Harry was reaching now, hoping to find something to delay the inevitable. Harry could picture James and Ginny's faces, and wondered if he would ever see them again.

"Yes, that has been most unexpected and unfortunate. I didn't foresee getting attached to them or you for that matter when I started. Be that as it may, it doesn't matter. I still have a mission to complete."

"What about Ron? What's this going to do to him? Are you going to come after him once the babies are born?"

"No, Ron Weasley will be spared your fate. I plan to disappear once I kill you. He will just have to live with the knowledge that he helped to seal your fate as much as you did."

"And how do you expect him to know this if I'm dead?"

"Because I've written it all out in a letter." She pulled a sealed envelope out of her jacket. "I'll leave this with your body explaining everything."

"Sam, you don't have to do this. You can leave now, and no one will ever know the truth. I won't tell a soul."

"But you see, Harry. I want them to know the truth. I want the world to know who my mother was, and that she was a good person. Just because she was on the wrong side of a war doesn't mean that she deserved to be killed by the Famous Harry Potter."

"It was war, Sam. It's either kill or be killed. It wasn't personal."

"IT WAS PERSONAL TO ME! YOU KILLED THE ONLY PERSON I EVER LOVED!" Sam closed her eyes, and calmed her breathing before she spoke again. "I'm sorry Harry. This has to be done."

As Sam aimed her wand at Harry, he thought he heard footsteps from far away. The next moment, he heard "POTTER, FERGUSON, WHERE ARE YOU?" It was unmistakably Shanks voice. Harry's shoulders visibly relaxed, knowing that help was on the way.

Sam, knowing that her time was short, aimed clumsily and shouted the cutting curse. She missed his throat, but did quite enough damage as it was. Harry's shirt ripped apart in the middle, and he noticed the blood oozing out of his abdomen. He placed his hand over it, and felt the wetness, not quite believing what had happened. It was curious, but he didn't feel as much pain as he would have thought. He heard the footsteps running now, but the noise seemed to be farther away. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees, still clutching his stomach.

In the moment it took for Shanks to appear in the room with his wand lit, Sam stood transfixed, watching in horror as the life drained out of Harry. Giving him one last teary look and muttering "I'm sorry", she pointed her wand at herself and said the killing curse almost in a whisper. She was dead before her head hit the floor.

"Potter, what happened here?" Shanks asked, taking in the sight of two dead bodies, and one barely alive man. He ran to Harry to support him.

Harry was unable to answer his boss, as his world faded to black.

A/N: Yes, I know I'm evil for leaving such a huge cliffhanger. You've all told me many times before. But this chapter was originally intended to be much longer, and when I started moving on from this point, it didn't flow. The chapter wanted to end here, so I listened. For all of you who've been telling me that Sam is evil, you were right. Or at least partly right. She was a lost soul, another casualty of war who was unable to move beyond her loss as such a young age. She didn't want to let anyone into her heart because she was so bent on revenge. I think with a lot of counseling and some loving support, she could have given up her vendetta. She was already starting to let the Weasley's and the Potter's in, and she couldn't handle it. There's more to Sam's story, but I'm not going to delve into it. If anyone would like to take her character and create their own story, please feel free. Let me know if you do because I'd love to read it.

A/N 2: 10 bonus points if you can tell me what song Ginny was singing.

Thanks again to Michelleywelley and LJFan, my wonderful betas. What can I say that hasn't already been said? Thanks for putting up with me.

FuocoDeiDraghi: Yes, Sam was definitely underestimated. I do feel sorry for her, because she had been underestimated her whole life. No one ever got her help after the traumatic events of her childhood. Still, it doesn't excuse what she did.

Britni Puccio: I'm working on Fred and George's outtake fic now, but I want to get chapter 14 written first. I can't leave everyone hanging for too long.

Strayct: I'm not sure what's happening to fanfiction dot net, but it's changing a lot of people's names. You're now listed as straycat1. How bizarre. I'm glad you didn't hate Sam – she deserved some sympathy. She wasn't all that bad, except for being a homicidal murderer. I liked your theory about her being from the future and/or one of R/H kids. You certainly do have a big imagination. I'm working on the Fred/George story, but I need to finish chapter 14 first.

Lucidity: I have to tell you, I love your story. That being said, I kind of "borrowed" your idea for the stomach wound, although not carried out in the same manner. You too, were right about Sam. She did mean to do him in, at first anyway. I'm writing the Weasley twins story as soon as I finish Chapter 14. I think everyone will appreciate a bit of fluff after that. Thanks for the suggestion!

Huggles4all: I was wondering where the "4" went as well. I even checked your profile and it wasn't there. Nice to see old number 4 as made his way back home. About Rita's article, I've been toying around with actually including it, but I think that might have to wait for a re-posting of the story. Lets just say it was worded tactfully and didn't offend Hermione. After all, if it had, Rita would have the consequences to suffer.

WMG: OK, first of all, you are right on target. So much so in fact, that I couldn't say anything either to deny or confirm your suspicions. Sam was not a deatheater, and she didn't have the same beliefs as her mother. But she certainly did have something to hide, didn't she? She wasn't all bad, but neither was she good. She was confused about where her loyalty was, so she felt that she had to avenge her mother's death, even though it was during the war.

Arwentheelf: I hope this answered your question. Just to clarify, it was Delroy in the bushes watching Harry and Ron. He was working for Sam, but was spotted shortly after reporting to her.

Penguingirl266: You were right, Sam wasn't to be trusted. The eyes in the bushes belonged to Delroy. Ron's vibes were indeed correct when it came to Sam – he's a good judge of character, most of the time. He tends to see things as very black or white. Rita's okay, she's not going to risk the wrath of Hermione. She's not exactly a pillar of morality, but she's not stupid either. And I highly recommend Barbados. The description in the beginning of the chapter is pretty close to the place I stayed on my 2nd trip there, except for the magical bartender. Although the BBC's he made were pretty outstanding

Megumi Ohira / La'Ruelia: Fanfiction dot net is having some issues lately, so it's not just you. Thanks for the review anyway. Glad you like the twins scene. I'm working on their story as soon as I finish the next chapter.

Hp/charmed obsessed: Rita really doesn't want to test to see if Hermione is bluffing or not. She's a bit scared of her, as she should be.

Penelope Richmond: I can't really use Cletus the Fetus anymore, now that it's twins. What would that be, Cleti the Feti? I'm a little sad about that.

Triniroo: It's more of an impression of her character rather than anything that she did. Ron has a pretty good sense for who's intentions are good and whose are not. Sam really was cold inside because she didn't want to let anyone in. To do that would risk distracting her from her vengeance. That coldness and sense of loss is what Ron felt when he was around her.

Also, thanks to Allycat, Bob Bennit, romanceFreak, and b2bbrules3326 for your reviews.


	14. The Worst Day Since Yesterday

Chapter 14: The Worst Day Since Yesterday

A/N: The title is from is from the song by Flogging Molly.

Something was wrong, Ron just knew it. He was pacing back and forth in Harry's house with an unmistakable feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. Harry should have been back by now. He continued to pace, absently rubbing his stomach.

A head appeared in the fireplace suddenly, making Ron jump.

"Mrs. Potter," the voice called.

"She's not here. What's wrong?" Ron recognized the person as someone who worked at St. Mungos. Ron's heart was beating rapidly now.

"I have an urgent message for Mrs. Potter in regards to her husband. I'm afraid that I can't release the information to anyone else."

Damn hospital rules. "Ginny's out of the country right now. Harry's my brother-in-law. What happened?" Ron felt his stomach drop. He knew this couldn't be good news.

"Since you're family, I suppose it's alright. Mr. Potter has been involved in a serious accident. He's in the emergency ward at St. Mungos. I don't have any other information about his condition. Do you know where I can reach Mrs. Potter?"

"I'll contact her right away. Is…is he going to be alright?" Ron was starting to panic.

"I'm afraid that I don't know. Please tell Mrs. Potter to come as soon as she can." The hospital worker's head disappeared from the fire.

Ron, heart racing, ran to the bedroom where Ginny had left the name of the hotel she and Hermione were staying.

XXXXXX

Hermione and Ginny were returning from an afternoon of shopping in Bridgetown, and were admiring their purchases. They had spent a good deal of money on purchasing presents for the whole family. When you had as large of a family as the Weasley's, present buying took on an entirely different meaning.

Ginny pulled the blue and green glass vase she had bought for her mother out of the bag and was inspecting it in the light. It really was one of the loveliest things she had ever seen. The colors swirled together in an intricate pattern, which reminded Ginny of the ocean they had been entranced by over the last few days.

"It really is exquisite. Your mother is going to love it, and scold you for spending too much money on her." Hermione teased as she too admired the vase.

"Well, that's just too bad, isn't it? She's just going to have to accept that I bought something pretty just for her that wasn't entirely practical. The horror," Ginny giggled at the thought of how conflicted Molly would be to accept such a pretty gift.

While she was holding the vase in the light, mesmerized by the beautiful blue and green swirls, the image suddenly changed to red. Pools of red assaulted Ginny's senses and she gasped as she dropped the vase onto the tiled floor. As if in slow motion, Hermione watched the vase splinter into a million tiny shards of blue and green.

"Harry," Ginny said in a whisper, her face as white as a sheet.

"Ginny, what is it? Are you alright?" Hermione was very concerned now.

"Harry's in trouble. I have to get home." Ginny began looking for her purse for the emergency port key.

"Ginny, you don't know that. Come on, sit down. I think you've had too much sun today." She placed her hands on Ginny's shoulder to lead her over to the couch.

A knock was heard at the door, and Ginny rushed to answer it. The resort manager was at the door, a somber look on his face.

"It's my husband, isn't it?" Ginny said simply, already knowing in her heart that it was true.

"Mrs. Potter, we've just received word from your brother Ron that there has been an accident involving your husband. He wanted to let you know that he was on his way to the hospital, but that he didn't have any word on his condition. We've arranged an emergency port key for you back to England."

"Thank you, Henry. I'll be right down."

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Harry was hurt, possibly fatally. How had Ginny known? "Ginny, I'm so sorry. Go ahead, I'll be there as soon as I gather our things together and grab the emergency port key we brought with us."

"Thanks. I know he's going to be fine. He has to be." Ginny tried to give her friend a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"I'm sure he will. This is Harry Potter after all." Hermione embraced her sister-in-law, fear and uncertainty dominating her mind.

Ginny took hold of the port key and was gone in an instant.

Hermione couldn't help thinking that she was glad Ron wasn't with Harry when he was hurt. What if, Merlin forbid, Harry didn't make it? Loosing Harry would be devastating, but loosing Ron? Hermione couldn't even bring herself to think on it.

XXXXXX

Shanks had held the bleeding and unconscious Harry in his arms for a moment before calling in the emergency squad. When they had taken Harry away, he had been icy cold and as pale as death. Shanks was scared for the young man. He had lost men under him before, but he had a soft spot for Potter and Weasley, thinking of the two younger men as his sons.

Trying to put thoughts of what was happening with Harry aside; he concentrated on examining the crime scene. Why on earth was Delroy Amato dead in a pool of his own blood? More importantly, what had lead Samantha Ferguson, a promising young Auror, to kill herself? He had walked in at the exact moment when the flash of green light from her own wand took her life. Potter had been on his knees, bleeding heavily from a wound in his stomach. He assumed Amato had tried to kill Harry, but what about Sam? While looking at the objects lying about the room, he noticed an envelope lying on the ground with "Ronald Weasley" scrawled on the front, and pocketed it for later. This could wait until after he had finished combing through the scene were two people were dead and a third's life hung in the balance.

XXXXXX

Ron raced down the corridors of St. Mungos, holding onto his large stomach as he went. When he reached the emergency ward, he was out of breath, and leaning on the desk for support. When he was able to breathe again, he asked the mediwitch at the desk, "I'm here … for Harry Potter."

"I don't have any information on him yet. The healers are still working on him. Are you family?" the young witch asked. She didn't appear to be much older than eighteen.

"I'm his brother. Please, can I go back and see him?"

"I'm afraid that no one is allowed in there until the healers have given the okay." The young girl looked up at Ron, a look of dawning comprehension on her face. "Wait a moment, aren't you that bloke from the magazine?" Her eyes traveled from his face to his bulging stomach. "You are, aren't you? I think it's wonderful what you're doing. That article made me cry. You must be very brave to go through all of this," she said, indicating his belly.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Look, can you find out anything about Harry?"

Her face softened, and she appeared much more willing to help. "Let me see what I can find out for you. Go ahead and have a seat over there in the waiting room." She disappeared behind a set of closed doors.

Ron turned and sat down in the waiting room. He absently flipped through a magazine, when he noticed another one lying open to a picture of himself and Hermione with a long article entitled "In the Family Way" by Rita Skeeter. Ron had seen enough of this article already, and hurriedly closed the magazine. No wonder the girl had recognized him.

Ron looked up when he heard a familiar voice. "Oh, Ronnie!" his mother exclaimed as she threw her arms around him. He was glad that she was there and he didn't have to be alone with his thoughts anymore. When his mother had let go, he noticed his father right behind her. "Hello, son." Mr. Weasley clapped Ron on the shoulder.

"Your brothers are on their way as well. Have you heard anything yet? Is Ginny here?" Mrs. Weasley began asking in quick succession.

"No, Ginny and Hermione should be on their way. I flooed them right before you. I'm waiting for word on Harry."

Molly nodded her head and took her son's hand in her own. Fear for her son-in-law gave way to concern for her youngest son when she looked at him more closely. He looked terrible, and she knew it was more than just Harry's condition. He had deep blue bags under his eyes and he was very pale. "Ron, you look exhausted. You really should be lying down, dear. All this stress isn't good for you."

"It's not like I'm going to get any rest until I know what's happened to Harry. I don't even know what happened." Ron ran his hand through his messy red locks.

"I know. I just worry about you, dear. Here, sit down and rest at any rate."

Ron couldn't deny that he felt horrible. His head was pounding and his stomach was in knots. His belly felt heavier than it had that morning, and his feet had begun to swell. "Alright, you win." Molly lead him over to the sofa, and helped him to prop his feet up.

"There you are, dear. Just try to relax." Ron didn't have the heart to argue with her. How was he going to relax when his best friend and brother could be dying?

After a few more silent minutes, Ron heard the mediwitch return and he jumped up off the sofa. "Well, what did you find out?" Molly and Arthur were flanking him on either side.

"He's alive, but barely. He's lost a lot of blood, but the healers think that if he can hold on for the next few hours, that he will live."

"Oh, thank Merlin. Arthur, he's going to be alright." Molly hugged her husband and her son in turn. She wouldn't allow herself to think that Harry might not be alright.

"When can we see him?" Ron asked.

"Not for a while yet. They need to get some more potions in him yet and then he'll be asleep for a good while." The witch returned to her paperwork.

"All we can do now is wait. Come on, Ron. Back to the sofa with you." Molly gently but firmly led Ron back to the waiting room.

Ginny appeared a few minutes later, and after a brief talk with her family, she disappeared into the emergency ward to be with Harry.

Fred and George showed up and then Bill, all keeping vigil in the waiting room of St. Mungos. It was a sign of how worried everyone was that Fred and George didn't even try to take the mickey out of Ron. He suspected that had a lot to do with Ginny's curse.

"Alright Ron?" George asked, concern on his face.

"Alright," replied Ron simply. He really wasn't in the mood to talk. He could see Fred and George exchanging glances and whispering amongst themselves. Every now and then he caught a few words such as "peaky" and "tired". Normally, Ron would have been angry that they were talking about him as if he weren't in the room. However, he couldn't care less at the moment. He only cared about Harry.

Ron became lost in his thoughts about the adventures he had shared with his best friend. A terrible feeling of guilt, like a lead weight in his stomach, consumed him as he thought of how he should have been the one watching Harry's back. That had been his role since they first met on the Hogwarts Express all those years ago.

The next thing Ron knew, Hermione was running toward him, and he didn't care about anything else. Merlin, she was a sight for sore eyes. "Oh Ron! Is he alright?"

Ron enveloped her in a hug and answered her without letting go. "He's holding his own. The healers said if he makes it through the next couple of hours, he'll be ok." Ron reluctantly released his wife. "I've missed you so much. How could something like this happen?"

"Do you know how it happened?" Hermione asked, sitting down beside him on the couch.

"No, no one's said anything. Come to think of it, where's Sam? She was with Harry when he went on the mission. It was supposed to be low risk."

Ginny emerged from the ward, a weary smile on her face. "He's going to be okay. He's stable, and his pulse is strong." The waiting room erupted into shouts of joy and laughter.

"Ron, he's awake and he's asking for you," Ginny motioned for him to follow. With one last kiss to Hermione, he followed his sister down the sterile hallway.

"I thought he'd be asleep for hours. How is it he's awake?"

"I don't know, really. He's staying awake by sheer will at this point, and I don't think he'll relax until he talks to you. Something happened, Ron, and I don't know what it was, but it's shaken him to the core." Ron noticed, not for the first time in his life, how strong his sister was. She had almost lost the love of her life, yet she was somehow able to keep it all together. "Are you alright? You don't look all that well."

"I'll be fine now. I've just been worried to death about him." Ron put his arm around his sister and pulled her into a hug. "He's going to be fine now, right?"

"Yes, yes he is. It'll take more than a few cuts to his vital organs to kill him."

Ron paled. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but it sounded really bad. He reached the room where Harry was resting, and saw his chest rising and falling. 'That's a good sign. Means he's still breathing, anyway,' Ron thought to himself.

Harry tried to smile when he saw Ron, but it turned into more of a grimace. "Hey, mate. You get the license number of that bus that ran you down?"

Ron could tell that Harry was struggling to get something out, and wisely shut his mouth to let him finish. "Ron," Harry croaked in barely a whisper, "Sam…killed Delroy." Harry took a few steadying breaths before he continued. "Tried … to kill me. You … right … about her." Harry was struggling to get the words out before he passed out. "Blamed us … for mother's … death."

Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you telling me that Sam tried to kill you?" Ron was furious. "That bitch! I'll kill her myself. Where is she Harry?" Ron's blood pressure was rising again, and his heart was racing.

"Killed…herself. She's dead." Harry stated. Those words hung in the air for several moments, as if there was an echo in the small room.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I should have tried harder to find out about her. It's my fault. I KNEW there was something off about her, but I didn't try hard enough to make you see she was evil. You could have died because I didn't do my job." Ron was practically hysterical when he spoke.

Ginny, who had been stroking Harry's forehead and checking his vital signs, was appalled at what was revealed. She had trusted Sam with her husband's life, and he had nearly died because of her. It was the ultimate betrayal. Now her brother was blaming himself, even though he tried to warn everyone about her.

"Not…your…fault," Harry tried to tell Ron, but it was so hard to speak. He knew Ron would blame himself. Thank Merlin he hadn't seen the letter Sam had written to him. Harry was afraid for his friend if he ever saw it.

Ginny wrapped her arms around her brother. "It's not your fault Ron. Please don't blame yourself. You didn't know she would try to kill Harry."

"But I knew there was something off about her. I should have trusted my instincts. I shouldn't have let everyone convince me that I was just jealous. I knew it was more than that." Ron shrugged out of his sister's embrace and left Harry's room. He needed to think. His heart was racing a mile a minute, and it felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

When turning the corner, he ran smack into Lt. Shanks. "Weasley, watch where you're going."

"Sorry Sir," Ron replied morosely. He placed his hand over his racing heart.

"Weasley, are you alright? Is it Potter? Is he…"

"No, Sir. He's going to make it. He just told me about Sam and how she tried to kill him."

"WHAT? I thought Amato…Sam? Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. Harry just told me." He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"In all my years, I never would have believed that one of our own would do this." Shanks' face was purple with rage and it was a moment before he spoke again. "I found this addressed to you at the scene. I tried to open it, but it was charmed so that only you can read it. Shanks handed the letter, which was dotted with droplets of blood, to Ron.

Ron stared at the envelope with his name on it. He wondered if the blood was Harry's, Delroy's, or Sam's. He hoped it was hers. He carefully ripped the envelope open and unfolded the letter. It was obviously Sam's curvy handwriting; he'd recognize it anywhere.

_Dear Ron,_

_I know that if you're reading this, I've already done what I've set out to do. You see, you and your friend Harry killed my mother. It was 10 years ago at the battle of Hogsmeade. Her name was Marketa Zhivoin. I found out after she died who had murdered her, and since that day I have dedicated myself to avenging her death. _

_You cannot possibly imagine what it's like to loose a parent and be utterly alone in the world. I guess your friend Harry does, now doesn't he? Why then, would he wish the same fate on another child? My mother didn't make the best choices in life, especially when she became a death eater, but she was my mother and the only person who I ever loved._

_My plan was always to kill you and Harry to avenge her. But when I found out that you were pregnant, I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't take the innocent lives of your children, no matter how much grief you had caused me. So, I have chosen to spare your life so that you may see your own children grow up. Your friend Harry will not be so lucky. Know that it was your actions and those of your friend that have caused this loss. _

_I know that you will now want vengeance on me for what I have done to your friend. I assure you that you will not be able to find me, no matter how hard you look. When you look at your children, appreciate them and love them, as they saved your life. When you look at the child of your friend, know that he is fatherless because of you as well._

_I'll see you in hell._

_Samantha Zhivoin Ferguson_

Ron dropped the letter as if it was on fire. He couldn't breathe. It was as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Suddenly, an excruciating pain, the likes of which he had never felt before, ripped through his abdomen as he doubled over. His vision was blurry, and sounds were distorted by the wave of agony.

"Weasley! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Shanks was holding onto the young man's shoulders, trying to keep him from falling face first onto the tile floor.

Ron barely registered that his boss was holding him up. Another pain knocked him to his knees as he fought to stay conscious. "Get Ginny. Something's wrong." Ron vaguely heard his boss screaming for a healer when the world went black.

XXXXXX

This was the second time in as many hours that he had held one of his men in his arms as he watched them slip into unconsciousness. Bertram Shanks felt utterly helpless when Ron went slack in his grip. He was now shouting at the top of his lungs for a healer.

A young healer in a white robe came rushing up. "What happened?"

"He doubled over in pain before he passed out. He's pregnant." Shanks found those words very difficult to say, but it didn't really matter right now. "His healer is Ginny Potter, she's in room 815 with her husband Harry Potter. Please get her quickly."

The young man disappeared at top speed down the hall, and in moments, returned with Ginny Potter in tow.

"Oh Merlin, Ron!" She checked his vital signs with her wand. Shanks watched in stunned silence as Ginny checked to see if Ron was breathing. Her expression did not relay her brother's condition at all. Rather, she quickly threw orders to the various healers and mediwitches that had gathered around the unconscious form of Ronald Weasley.

"We need to get him to an emergency treatment room now!"

Shanks watched helplessly as Ron's body was levitated down the hall on a magical stretcher.

"Mr. Shanks? Please, let my family and Ron's wife know that something has happened. I'll let them know how he is as soon as I can." Ginny ran off down the hall after the stretcher and disappeared into a room where the doors closed behind her.

Shanks noticed the letter still lying on the floor where Ron had dropped it and picked it up, cursing himself for not reading its contents before he gave it to Ron.

XXXXXX

It hadn't been a good day for the Weasleys. First, Harry had been nearly killed by a deranged woman who they all thought was a friend. Then Ron had collapsed in pain, and been rushed into an emergency room of his own. Hermione had her face buried into Arthur Weasley's shoulder, crying softly. Molly was rubbing the young woman's back trying to comfort her. George, who was uncharacteristically quiet sitting next to his twin, had red-rimmed eyes. Fred was staring at the floor, and Bill alternated between pacing back and forth and staring out the window.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ginny emerged, looking bedraggled and exhausted.

"Ron's stable. It was touch and go for a while, but he's resting comfortably now."

"Gin, what happened?" asked Fred, getting to his feet. "He seemed pale, but he wasn't complaining of any pain or anything."

"As best as we can determine, it was the amount of stress he was under, what with everything that had happened." Ginny didn't need to explain any more. The whole family was sickened by what Sam had done to Harry and then Ron with the letter. "His heart nearly stopped beating, but we were able to get it sorted again. From this point on, he's going to have to be on strict bed rest until the end of the pregnancy."

Hermione looked up from Mr. Weasley's shoulder. Though her eyes were red and swollen, her voice was calm as she asked, "How are the babies?"

Ginny's face fell, and look of sorrow crossed her visage. "I'm truly sorry, Hermione. We can only find one heartbeat."

A/N: Feel free to tell me how much you hate me in a review for leaving you with another horrible cliffhanger. By the way, this was the fastest update yet, but please be patient with me as the next one will not be as quick. I will do my best to have another chapter out by the end of the month. For those of you who asked, Ron is not a "seer" but does have excellent instincts and has a knack for knowing when someone he cares about is in danger. For that matter, it runs in the family as we saw with Ginny in this chapter. I always thought Ron's bogus predictions in Divination were a little too prophetic to be completely made up. I want to thank my wonderful betas Michelleywelly and LJ Fan for their hard work to help me become a better writer.

La'Ruelia: So far there is no other story about Sam, but feel free to write it if you want.

Penguingirl266: 10 bonus points are yours! You are absolutely right; it was "Natural Mystic" by Bob Marley. I thought "Waiting in Vain" would be a little too obvious. I love Bob!

Arwentheelf: I don't think she really wanted to kill him when it came down to it. I guess we'll never know if she missed on purpose. Most "evil" characters are ones that have been extremely hurt or abused in the past to make them the way that they are. Very few are just plain evil. I'm glad she earned a little sympathy, anyway.

Straycat1: Sorry about the name – I liked the symbol. Wow, you even feel a little sympathy for Harry? I guess my work here is done.

Huggles4all: I'm glad the 4 is back. Believe it or not, chapter 13 was the longest chapter I've written. I'm glad you enjoyed the turn of events. Things are not going to be the same as they were before she came into their lives.

Lucidity: I'm glad you liked it. Ron's not a true seer but he does have a way of knowing what's going on, doesn't he? I tried to show the descent into darkness with the contrast between the girls vacation leading up to the pitch black of the house. It was a lot of fun to write, even though it was a hard thing to do, killing off my own character.

Penelope Richmond: I know you hate the cliffies, but what can I say? I love them, and since I'm writing it, they will continue  I always enjoy the frustration of a good cliffhanger when I read a story – it makes me want to go back to find out what happens.

Bob Bennit: Sorry to upset you. At least Harry should be OK now.

FuocoDeiDraghi: I'm glad you liked it so much. It means a lot to me.

Clothespeg-rules: Sorry, it served the storyline better if she were dead. It would be more about her than what Ron and Harry are going through, so she had to go. Her presence will be felt in the aftermath of the attack at any rate.

Triniroo: Oh, he's wrong frequently, just not about this  Not about the important things, anyway.

Britni Puccio, Ilovefireyredheads (aka romancefreak), hp/charmed obsessed: Thank you so much for your reviews. Keep them coming.


	15. The Sweetest Goodbye

**A/N:** The chapter title comes from the song by Maroon 5. Sorry for the LONG delay. I don't want to make a lot of excuses, but as you've been so patient, I feel that I owe some explanations and apologies. I was without a computer for about a month, and I've been working two jobs, which didn't leave a lot of time. On top of that, I've had a terrible case of writer's block. I've got an outline of where I want the story to go, but not how to get from point A to point B. I found inspiration this week in the most unlikely of places, so when you read this chapter, you'll know what influenced the darker tone. I was in London just a couple of weeks ago, and it's been absolutely surreal watching the same streets where I'd been on the news in such a tragic way. I stayed near the Kings Cross station and used it to get everywhere. The British people are amazing, and I have no doubt that their strength of spirit will carry them through this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. As Thomas Paine once said, these are the times that try men's souls.

Chapter 15: The Sweetest Goodbye

When he awoke, he noticed two things. The first was that he felt like he had been hit by the Knight Bus. Everything hurt, especially his chest, which was currently being sat on by an invisible troll. The second thing he noticed was that someone's head was lying next to his arm, and that someone had very bushy hair. Hermione was asleep in the chair next to his bed, with her head resting next to his arm and her hand entwined with his own. Taking in his surroundings, Ron surmised that he was in hospital, but why? The last thing he remembered was talking to Shanks in the hallway outside of Harry's room. And then it came rushing back to him – Sam's letter. He felt a leadweight in his stomach as he remembered the contents of the letter written by Harry's former partner and would-be-murderer.

Hermione awoke, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth. Upon realizing that Ron was conscious, she embraced him as if she hadn't seen him in years. "Oh Ron! You're awake! How are you feeling? You had me so worried."

"I'll be better when you stop cutting off my air supply," Ron croaked, but gave her a lopsided grin. "What happened?"

"You've been unconscious for two days. You collapsed after reading that letter from that horrible woman. It's lucky Shanks was there – you could have died. You almost did." Hermione's voice broke, and she tried very hard not to break down into tears.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Ron, your heart stopped. Shanks called for help, and Ginny got your heart beating again."

Ron couldn't believe what he was hearing. He almost died? Certainly he'd put his life on the line many times in his work, but this was different. Now he was responsible for the lives of his children. The children! He hadn't thought what was happening to them. What if something bad happened to his babies…?

"Are the twins alright?"

Hermione couldn't meet his eyes. She looked at the floor, and Ron could see tears falling down her cheeks. Oh Merlin, no. Please, not the children. He'd do anything for them to be alright. The silence was louder than any sound he had ever heard.

"Hermione, please, I have to know. What's happening to our children?"

She wasn't hiding her sobs now. Ron reached out for her hand and stroked it gently with his thumb. Whatever it was that she wasn't saying was bad. His wife was never one to mince words.

She looked up at him after a few minutes with red, moist eyes. The anguish was written on her face, and Ron's heart felt like it would break. "I'm sorry, love. Ginny was only able to find one heartbeat. We've lost one."

The bottom dropped out of Ronald Weasley's world.

XXXXX

After a few days in hospital, Ron was moved into Harry's room. It only seemed fitting, since neither one was in critical condition anymore and it allowed their numerous family members to spend more time with them rather than having to split their time between two rooms. This should have been a comfort to Ron, and in some ways it was. Ron and Harry had been roommates for years, and were accustomed to each other's habits, finding comfort in the familiarly. But what Ron wanted now more than anything was to be left alone, a condition he had not found himself in since he woke up in St. Mungo's. There was always the assorted family member or friend hanging about to keep them company, and after all the visitors were gone there was still Harry.

Harry was doing much better, although still weak and in a good deal of pain from his injuries. All the healers were optimistic that he would make a full recovery, but he was healing slower than what they thought he should have. Eventually they discovered that the cutting curse that Sam used had been modified in some way to cause "maximum damage" as the healers said. For his part, Harry was in good spirits and greeted all the visiting Weasley's with graciousness. Harry seemed to be more concerned with Ron than his own injuries.

Ron had withdrawn into himself since finding out that one of the babies was stillborn. Harry presumed that Ron blamed himself when in fact there was no proof that he could have done anything differently. Ginny had assured him that even if he had remained stress-free and done everything by the book; it wouldn't have guaranteed that the baby wouldn't have died anyway. This fact did little to console Ron, and the whole family was worried about him.

To her credit, Molly was a pillar of strength and did not coddle her youngest son, which Harry suspected was taking every ounce of self control. She visited for a couple of hours everyday, and refrained from asking how Ron and Harry were feeling every five minutes. Ginny was there whenever she wasn't working, and Harry appreciated it more than she would ever realize. Ginny's presence was calming to both men, and even though Ron didn't say as much, he seemed a little more at ease with her there. The twins had visited often, trying their best to raise everyone's spirits with their latest inventions and stories from their shop, earning them a half-hearted smile on a couple of occasions from Ron. The rest of the family came often and none of them mentioned the loss of Ron and Hermione's baby. Harry knew it was because they were afraid to upset Ron even more, but he couldn't help wondering if that was what Ron really needed now.

The one person whose absence was most shocking was Hermione. After initially spending all of her time by Ron's side waiting for him to awake, she began to spend less and less time in the hospital and more time at work. Harry knew that she was hurting every bit as much as Ronand in some waysmore. When she was there, she talked of trivial things and made small talk about the weather and the latest happenings in the Daily Prophet. Ron's surly mood continued to grow, and he openly bated her at times, but Hermione did not rise to his challenge. It was obvious that under this calm exterior that she wanted to row with him as much as he did, but seemed to lack the energy to do so.

Harry looked over at his sleeping friend in the next bed. Ron looked pale with dark circles under his eyes. His stomach was as large as ever, and as he slept, he kept one arm wrapped protectively around it. Ginny was sitting next to Harry's bed, and they were engaged in a game of wizard's chess.

"You're not even trying anymore. I know that you have no hope of beating a Weasley at chess, but at least pretend to make an effort. You take all the fun out of it if you just openly let me beat the pants off you."

"What? Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought." Harry eyed his chess pieces, knowing that he would undoubtedly lose for the 369th time.

"I know you're worried, and frankly so am I," she said in almost a whisper, and Harry knew she wasn't referring to chess anymore.

"Do you think they're going to be alright," Harry asked, as another one of his chess pieces was being dragged off the board by Ginny's knight.

"Do you mean Ron and the baby, or Ron and Hermione?" Ginny watched her brother's chest rise and fall.

"Both."

"Physically, I think Ron and the baby will be okay as long as he remains on bed rest. Emotionally, I don't know about Ron and Hermione. When something devastating like this happens, it either brings couples closer together or drives them apart. So far, I haven't seen much togetherness." Ginny turned her head away from Ron when she felt Harry's hand reach for her own. She was grateful for the gesture of comfort.

"Does Hermione know how much she's hurting him by staying away?" Harry loved Hermione like a sister, but she wasn't helping matters right now.

"She's not dealing with the loss at all. It's as if the pain will go away if she doesn't think or speak about it. They're both so filled with grief that they can't seem to help each other."

Just then, they heard a knock on the door, and Hermione walked in. She looked tired, and her normally manicured look was a little frayed around the edges. Her hair was bushier than normal, and she wasn't wearing any makeup.

"Hi," she said, simply.

"Hi yourself," Ginny said smiling. She walked over at Ron's bed and and gently shook him awake. "Hermione's here."

"Harry, I think it's time we went for a walk. Your healer wants you up and walking around as much as you can tolerate. Come on, I'll help you." Ginny helped Harry to stand, and they made their way slowly out of the room with Harry leaning heavily on her.

"How are you feeling today," Hermione asked in a soft tone, as she sat down in the chair next to Ron's bed.

Ron's face had changed from pale to a reddish tone that was now creeping up his ears. "Let's see, my back aches, my stomach hurts, and I killed my child. So all in all, not great," he spat.

"Ron…"

"No Hermione. What did you expect me to say, 'fine'? We both know this is my fault, so let's call a spade a spade." This time he spoke with less anger and more pain in his voice.

"Ron, why do you have to be so hard on yourself?"

"Because I'm a screw up. Always have been, always will be. I assume that's why you don't want to be around me." He didn't meet her eyes.

"Ron, you know that's not true. I've been really busy at work."

"Sure. I don't buy it, love."

"I don't care what you believe, it's the truth." Hermione's calm exterior was quickly fading.

"I know you don't want to be around me. You blame me for losing the baby, as you should. I don't know why on earth I agreed to do this. What was I thinking? What made either one of us think I could carry children?" Ron rubbed his stomach as he looked down. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Your father is a royal screw-up and it's because of me that your twin died."

"RONALD WEASLEY! YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" Hermione was furious now. If it was a row he wanted, it was a row he was going to get. "You certainly didn't set out to harm our children, so don't let me hear you say that again. If you want to blame someone, blame that bitch who tried to kill Harry. It was because of her that you were so upset."

"Oh, you mean the same woman you welcomed with open arms only days before? The same one you told me was harmless?" Ron knew after the words had left his mouth that he had gone too far.

Hermione felt like she had been slapped. "So that's it, isn't it? You're not blaming yourself or Sam. You're blaming ME. Well congratulations, Ron. You've hit the nail on the head. I'm the one who couldn't get pregnant in the first place. I'm the one that got hit with that curse when we were teenagers that ruined me. I'm the one that convinced you to carry our children. I'm the one that believed Sam's lies." She didn't even try to hide the tears this time.

Ron was shocked. That's not what he meant. "I didn't mean that, Hermione. I'm sorry. It's not your fault about Sam."

"Yes it is. You've said so yourself. And you're right. I'm not just busy at work. I couldn't face you knowing that I'm part of the reason why you're in so much pain and why our child died. I can't look at you without being reminded of the role I played it, and I don't know how you can stand to look at me. I think it would be best if we had a little distance right now."

It was Ron's turn to feel like he'd been slapped. "What do you mean?"

"I think we both need to be apart from each other right now. All this blame and guilt is killing me and I know it's killing you. That's not good for you or the baby, so I think it would be best if we spend some time apart." Hermione gathered up her jacket.

"Wait! I don't understand. I need you right now. Where are you going?"

"There's a legal case in the Department of International Magical Law Enforcement that involves a crime in America. They need one of our barristers to go to New York and I think I'm going to take it. You need to concentrate on getting better, and you can't do that with me around to remind you of what we lost. I'm so sorry, Ron. I never meant to hurt you. I'll send you an owl post once I arrive." With that, she turned her back and walked toward the door.

"Hermione, don't leave! Please! I'm sorry; I didn't mean what I said. Hermione!" But it was no use. She had gone.

The door opened, and Molly Weasley entered he son's hospital room. "Ron, was that Hermione I just saw leaving? I called her name but she didn't answer. She looked upset." Molly noticed the pallor of her son's face, and the unshed tears accumulating in his eyes. "Is there something wrong, dear?"

"I think my marriage just ended." Ron couldn't hold it in any longer. Molly sat on his bed and enveloped him in her arms. He clung to his mother as his shoulders shook and gut-wrenching sobs escaped. She soothed him, rubbing his back and rocking gently as she had when he had been a little boy. Harry and Ginny had returned from their walk, but seeing the sight before them, decided it was best to leave the mother and son alone. As Ron fell into an exhausted sleep, she whispered into his ear, "Don't worry, dear. Everything will work out fine, you'll see." Now if she could only believe that herself.

XXXXX

After a week passed, Ron had been released from hospital. Harry had been released the day before Ron, and it had been decided that Ron would move into the Burrow and Harry would stay there during the day while Ginny was at work. Molly was in her element, feeling truly needed by her family for the first time in a long time. While Harry had been recovering nicely, it made both her and Ginny feel more comfortable that he wasn't home alone in case he should have some complication. He was going to be out of work for at least six months, according to the healers.

But it was Ron that concerned her the most. He was given a room on the first floor so that he wouldn't have to climb the stairs. He had nearly died that night, and had lost a child. Molly knew better than anyone what it felt like to loose a child; she had been through it twice. Ron was feeling tremendous guilt and grief, and with him and Hermione having marital problems, she was concerned that he would never recover from this loss. Hermione had written a few days ago from New York, and Ron had read her letter and then crumpled it up. Knowing she probably shouldn't have, Molly had secretly retrieved it from the bin and found it contained superficial fluff. There was no emotion, and no spark of life that was the essence of Hermione. Ron would be angry if he knew she read his letter, but she had been doing this to all her children over the years and wasn't about to stop now. Honestly, how else was a mother to know what was going on in her children's lives if they didn't tell her? Molly had always treated the girl as if she were one of her own, and how she would like to turn the child over her knee right now. Difficulties always arose in marriages, and one had to meet them head on. Both parties needed to be in the same country for that to happen. Molly knew the girl was hurting badly, and wanted to help her deal with her loss. But now she was not only hurting herself, but hurting Ron. Merlin, how Arthur had tried her last nerve over the years, but after a little rowing and compromising, the marriage always ended up stronger than it had been before and the making up was the best part. People often wondered why they'd had seven children, and Molly attributed it to their spectacular rows and subsequent making up. She hoped Ron and Hermione could work through their problems and save their marriage. Of all her children, they reminded Molly of Arthur and herself the most.

As she prepared breakfast, she heard two pops behind her, and nearly dropped the bowl she was holding. "Honestly, you children are going to give me a heart attack."

"Sorry Mum. That smells great," said Ginny as she peered into the frying pan full of rashers, with James in her arms. Harry took a seat at the table, knowing breakfast would soon be ready.

"I'll make you a sandwich to go, dear. If you would just make a home cooked meal once in a while, you wouldn't crave mine so much."

"Why would I, when you do it so much better? How does it feel, knowing that your daughter will never live up to your culinary standards?" Ginny and Molly had been doing this particular verbal routine for years.

Molly couldn't help but smile. "Well, at least you still need your poor mother for something."

"Always, Mum." Ginny kissed her mother's cheek and lowered James to the ground so that he could run outside and play. "Before I go, I want to go check on Ron. How's he doing?"

"About the same. Although I think it's done him some good to get out of that hospital and get some real food."

"I imagine he's a little bored with the bed rest, but he doesn't have much longer to go now. Only another few weeks. I'll be right back," she said as she carried her medical bag with her.

Ginny headed for the room that had been converted to Ron's bedroom. Ginny found her brother asleep, although he was anything but peaceful. Ron's bed clothes were wrapped around his body, and he was moaning and thrashing his limbs. After his fifth year, Ron had suffered from nightmares and Ginny had been the only one who knew about them. At the time, he had been recovering from the incident at the Department of Mysteries with the brains. It had always embarrassed him, and he was adamant that no one else know about them. It was obvious that he was suffering from them again.

Ginny reached out and brushed the sweaty fringe from his forehead. She gently shook his shoulder until he awoke with a start.

"Gin?"

"Hey there, big brother. Rough night?" Ginny helped to disentangle Ron from the sheets.

"Rough couple of months, actually," he said as he sat up, running his hands through his hair.

"I just came in to check on you and see how the baby's doing." After Ginny had given him his check-up, she pulled a bottle from her bag. "Here, I want you to take this if you need it."

"What is it?"

"It's a mild version of the dreamless sleep potion. It won't hurt you or the baby. Nightmares back again, I see."

"Yeah. They've been bad since…well, you know."

"Ron, have you tried to write her, or floo her? I don't want you to bite my head off, but I'm worried about the two of you. You're both strong willed people who blame themselves when things go wrong. I know you're both hurting. But you need to talk to each other. You're about to be parents."

"I don't think she loves me anymore, Gin."

"Ron, you know that's not true."

"I don't know what to believe anymore. She said that I blame her for what happened. How can I respond to that?"

"Well, do you?"

"I don't know. Maybe on some level. I don't know how to go on."

"You have to forgive her and yourself. Blame won't change anything. You've lost a child, and it's the worst thing any parent can imagine. But you've still got another baby on the way. Don't make my niece or nephew lose it's parents too."

"Don't you have a job or something? I already have one mother hovering over me; I don't need a second one." Ron laughed as he said it, but was only half joking.

"Always the subtle one, aren't you? Yes, I'm going. Call me if you need anything, alright?" Ginny kissed Ron's cheek and left him alone to think about how horribly wrong his life had gone in the last few weeks.

A/N: Again, thanks to my betas. Also, many thanks to those of you who've read the story, especially those of you who have left reviews. I won't be replying individually, but if you have specific questions, I'll be happy to e-mail you. I'd love to hear what you think about the story. I'm also going to post more frequently on my website, so bear with me because I'm not the most computer literate person. I haven't forgotten about the Weasley twin's outtake, but it will come out after the end of this story. Only a couple more chapters to go. I'll see you all again after The Half Blood Prince comes out. After all, this is just a way for me to pass the time between HP novels, anyway.


	16. Better Be Home Soon

Chapter 16: Better Be Home Soon

Stepping out onto the busy sidewalk, Hermione took a moment to feel the sunlight shining on her face. Spring in New York City was beautiful, as the trees and flowers of the city parks bloomed in all their glory. While there were people milling about everywhere, much as in muggle London, she found them to be much friendlier than she expected. The city was also surprisingly clean, owing to the efficient sanitation department. Unlike London however, the muggle and magical community was interwoven in the city's Burroughs, so that there was no obvious distinction of where the muggle world stopped and the magical one began. Despite the fascinating history of the city that she would have ordinarily absorbed with glee and the excellent weather she had experienced since arriving in America, Hermione Weasley was miserable.

How could she enjoy this once in a lifetime experience, while her marriage was falling apart? She had been grieving, hurting, and feeling incredibly guilty when she last saw her husband. What was she thinking? How selfish could one woman be?

After years of wanting a baby, they were about to finally achieve their goal. Ron was carrying their child back in England, and was due at any time to have the baby. Ginny had written to her saying that Ron was out of hospital, and on bed rest at The Burrow. What Ginny neglected to say was how Ron was doing emotionally. She didn't need to, wasn't it obvious? She knew that Ron needed her the most now, especially after losing one of the babies. How he must hate her for leaving, not to mention what the rest of the family must think of her. Well, it couldn't be any worse than what she thought of herself. Hadn't she been the one to basically abandon her husband and unborn child?

After Ron nearly died, the reality of their situation came crashing down around her. She nearly lost him. She knew for certain that had Ron died, she would have too. His and her lives were forever bound to one another, and she couldn't imagine her world without him in it. And she would have been the one to blame. Hadn't she been the one defending the woman that tried to kill Harry, and had made a good attempt at killing Ron with that letter? When Ron had lost one of the babies, she had emotionally shut down. She was useless to Ron, and their child, and most of all to herself. Ron and the baby would be better off without someone so useless in their lives. She didn't deserve to be a Weasley, after what she had done.

Hermione walked several blocks without realizing it, lost in her own thoughts of self-doubt and depression, when she thought she had seen something out of the corner of her eye. She looked around, but didn't see anything or anyone she recognized. As she continued on her way, she had a strange feeling that she was being followed. After years of practice, she expertly ducked into the nearest building, which happened to be a department store. She zigged, zagged, and double-backed until she was fairly certain that if anyone had been following her, she would have lost them by now. Emerging from a perfume counter, she turned to head for the door when she ran into someone she indeed recognized. Well, two someones with very red hair.

"Hemione, fancy meeting you here!" Fred Weasley was the last person Hermione had expected to see today.

"Simply smashing that we've run into you, my dear." George Weasley wore an identical smile on his face.

"What are you two doing?" Hermione was clutching her chest, the fear from moments before now replaced by annoyance. "You're lucky I didn't hex you into next week. Are you trying to give me heart failure? I thought someone was following me."

"Why, it's only your two favorite members of the family come to call on you. George, I don't think she's at all happy to see us," Fred said with a mock tone of hurt in his voice.

"I do think you're right, brother of mine."

It was true. She wasn't happy to see anyone from the family, let alone two obnoxiously cheerful one. "What do you want?" Hermione suddenly realized what their arrival might mean, and her eyes opened wide in terror. "Has something happened? Is Ron OK?"

Fred's face fell almost imperceptively, but Hermione noticed. Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Answer me! What's happened?"

"Well, it seems that there's trouble in the Weasley family. Trouble not caused by us, for a change. Hard to imagine, I know. Anyway, one of our brothers has found himself in the peculiar state of having a bun in the oven, and his wife has flown the coop. Mind you, we could understand her leaving under normal circumstances. Merlin knows this brother of ours is a right git at times, and his wife is much too good for him. But we can't stand seeing him so sad. Everyone knows that he's not worth a damn without her, so we took it upon ourselves to help in any way we could," Fred said, emphatically.

"We figured that the best way to help was to bring said wife back home. And so, here we are, begging you come back with us," George said, without his usual sarcasm.

Hermione closed her eyes to try and stem the flow of tears that threatened to fall. A few slipped out and began to fall. "You must think I'm a horrible person to leave the way I did. But I just would have kept hurting him. He's better off without me around."

George enveloped her in a hug, and this time she couldn't stop the tears as she wept openly against his chest. Fred gently patted her on the back.

"You're certainly not a horrible person, and don't let us ever catch you saying that again. In fact, you're the best thing that ever happened to Ron. We just don't understand, is all. But we've got plenty of time if you want to tell us," George said, as he continued to hug her.

"Why don't we get out of this store, and go somewhere more private to talk," Fred added.

Hermione let go of George and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "My place is close. Let's sit down and have a cup of tea."

XXXXXX

Molly had always been proud of the fact that she and Arthur had raised their children to be strong and independent. Sometimes they were a bit too strong and independent for their own good, if truth be told. But watching her youngest son as he slept, she thought about the events of the last couple of weeks that had led him to be living at the Burrow again. Her heart ached when she thought about the child he had lost and the trouble with his marriage. She wasn't exactly sure what had driven Ron and Hermione apart, but she knew that the loss of one of their children had been a terrible blow to them both, especially given the circumstances with that Sam woman. She still couldn't believe that Hermione would go all the way to America with their child due so soon, but she didn't blame the girl for needing some time to sort out their problems.

As she watched the rise and fall of Ron's chest as he slept, she was reminded of him as an infant, and how she loved to just watch him sleep. All of her children had been special in their own way, but Ron had been an especially easy baby. By the time he came along, the other boys were demanding so much attention (especially Fred and George), that Ron got much less of her time than the others had at the same age. But the night was just for the two of them, once the boys had been put to bed. It was their nightly routine to walk around the house, with Molly singing softly in his ear until he fell asleep in her arms. Once she laid him down in his cradle, she enjoyed just watching his soft baby face and the rise and fall of his chest. And now her baby boy was about to have a child of his own. At any rate, Molly was glad to have him back home again where she could take care of him until the baby was born. It was nice to be needed by one of her children again.

Molly was broken out of her reverie by Ron's sudden tossing and turning. His face was screwed up, as if in pain, and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead. As she hurried to his side, she could hear him mumbling "No…please…" It was obvious to Molly that Ron was having a nightmare. After his fifth year and again during their search for the horcruxes, Ron had been plagued with nightmares that routinely woke the family up in the middle of the night, and they took turns comforting him until he had calmed enough to fall back asleep. As a mother, those times had been heart-wrenching to watch, and Molly was thankful when they had seemed to go away. She hadn't known him to have nightmares in years, but it was no wonder they were occurring again with all the stress he had been under.

Molly sat on the edge of the bed, and began stroking Ron's hair away from his sweaty forehead. He continued to mumble "not dead…please no", but the thrashing about had decreased, and his breathing was returning to normal as Molly whispered comforting words into his ear.

Ron opened his bleary eyes to see his mother sitting next to him, stroking his hair and smiling at him. The nightmares had returned, and he felt like a scared teenager again. There had been a time where it was normal to wake up in a cold sweat and find one of his family members sitting with him, so it was not altogether unsurprising to find his mother there comforting him.

"Mum? Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Oh no, dear. It's still early yet. I came in to check on you, and you started tossing and turning." Molly continued to stroke Ron's hair, and he found that he didn't mind so much. "How long have you been having nightmares again, dear?"

"It's been off and on for the last few weeks." Ron wanted to change the subject quickly. "So, anyone home besides us?"

Molly, sensing that her son wanted to forget about whatever was troubling him in his dreams, stopped her ministrations and sat up straight. "No, your father is still at work and Ginny sent an owl to say she would be over later tonight. That reminds me; Fred and George also sent an owl and said they were coming by later. Those two are up to something, I know it." Molly shook her head, trying to imagine what her two most mischievous offspring were going to do next.

"Well, if anyone would know that, it'd be you, Mum. I don't know how they made it to adulthood, with everything they've done over the years."

Molly leaned in closer to Ron and with a lowered voice said, "Yes, well, it amazes me some days too, Ron." Ron laughed for the first time in a couple of days, and Molly thought it was the best sound she'd ever heard. "How are you feeling, dear? I remember being that heavily pregnant when I had Fred and George, and it was no picnic. In fact, I think you're even larger than I was."

"Ginny warned us about that. She said I would get really big, not having the proper, eh, equipment and all."

This time, Molly let out a huge laugh that made Ron smile. "I suppose I'm alright, considering. I'll be glad to let the little bugger out soon, though. My stomach is as hard as a rock, and I'm really getting uncomfortable."

"Have you been having any pains?" Molly placed her hand on Ron's very round stomach, and was rewarded with a tiny kick from her grandchild. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and dabbed at the corner with her apron. "Oh Ron! This is so wonderful. I remember each of my pregnancies like it was yesterday and there's nothing like this feeling of having your child moving inside."

"Which one of us was the hardest pregnancy?"

"Well, each pregnancy was special, but I think yours was the hardest."

"Really? Why Mum?"

"Well, I was so afraid I was going to lose you, dear. It had been a tough pregnancy anyway, and we were in the midst of the first war with You-Know-Who. I began spotting and cramping early on, and the healers all said that I probably wouldn't be able to carry you to term. I had already had one miscarriage after Charlie was born, and these two pregnancies were very similar. I was scared to death of losing you, and I vowed that I would do whatever it took to keep you safe. I was on bed rest, just like you, and hoping that I would get a chance to see you grow up. Needless to say, you managed to hold on, and your father and I knew that we had a miracle. It was because of you that I knew that You-Know-Who would be defeated. You gave me hope, Ron."

Molly wrapped her arms around her son, and rubbed his back. Ron was speechless. He'd never known that his mother had a miscarriage or she had such a hard time with him.

After a few moments, Ron asked the only question he could think of at the time. "Mum, the baby you lost. What would you have named him or her?"

"We never expected to have a girl, that is until your sister came along. We had picked out Daniel. I still think of him as my little Danny, and wonder what he would be like if he had lived. I know how hard things have been on you and Hermione, dear. I understand how devastating it is to lose a child, but you have to go on. For this little one," Molly said as she patted Ron's belly. "Hermione will come to terms with it too, and she'll be back. I know, because I have hope."

A wave of emotion swept over Ron, and he couldn't hold back the sobbing that he only vaguely recognized as his own. Molly was quick to envelop him into a tight hug, and Ron clung to her as he had when he was an infant trying to fall asleep. "I miss her so much, Mum. I just want her here with me. I can't do this without her."

"I know, dear. Things have a way of working out. Don't worry; I'm sure she'll be back soon." Molly rocked back and forth with him until his shuddering subsided. She reached for a tissue and handed it to him. "Why don't you relax for a bit, and I'll make some tea. Dinner will be ready shortly, and I'd better make sure there's enough for Ginny, Fred, and George."

Ron finished blowing his nose, and said "Good, because I'm starving."

Molly flashed him a grin. "That's my boy. I'll just make sure we have plenty to go around then, shall I?"

XXXXXX

Three people Apparated to the edge of the wards around the Burrow. As they made their way toward the house, Hermione felt a sense of panic overwhelm her. _What if Ron won't forgive me? What if I made him so angry I cause him to go into labor?_ _What do I say to Molly, 'Hi, sorry I left your pregnant son all alone, but I'm back now only because your other two sons came to drag me home,'?_

George could see the hesitation in Hermione's face. "Don't worry, love. Things will work out fine, you'll see. Now get a move on. I can smell Mum's cooking from here, and I'm starving."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked, as she continued to walk toward the house.

"How can you not smell that Yorkshire Pudding? My mouth is watering," George said.

"No, you prat. I mean how do you know it will be all right?"

Fred answered this time. "It's something Mum always used to say. Something about hope in the face of dark times, or was it hope your face is home by dark, whatever. The point is, you two will work it out."

The trio made their way to the house, and stepped through the front door. Molly was in the kitchen, finishing up what looked to be a feast for an army. Her back was turned toward the stove.

"We're home, Mum. Dinner smells fantastic." George said, as he stepped into the living room.

"That's good, dear. Dinner will be on the table in a few minutes. Why don't you and your brother set the table," Molly said without turning around.

"Hope you don't mind, Mum, but we brought company with us. Is there room for one more?" Fred couldn't wait for his mother's expression.

"Oh, well of course." Molly had grabbed a glass from the shelf and was about to fill it with water when she turned around to greet their dinner guest.

The glass shattered into a million pieces.

Molly was overcome with so much joy that she burst into tears as she ran toward her daughter-in-law. "Oh Hermione! I'm so happy to see you, dear. You look far to skinny. What have you been eating in America?"

Hermione was also in tears, as she fiercely hugged her mother-in-law back. She had been worried that Molly would hate her for what she had done. Hermione had always been close to her, even more so than her own mother. The welcome she was receiving gave her hope that Ron would also be able to forgive her in time.

Molly patted the younger girl on the cheek with a warm smile, and nodded her head in the direction of the bedroom. "Go on, he's been waiting for you," she whispered.

Hermione nodded, and started walking toward the bedroom. She was dimly aware of Molly asking the twins how they had found her. As she rounded the corner, she could have sworn she heard something that sounded like "oof", which she suspected was one of the twins getting the air squeezed out of him.

Hermione walked slowly toward the door of the room which currently held her husband and her unborn child. Now there was only a thin piece of wood between them, but it felt like the Atlantic Ocean was still keeping them apart. Her hand rested at her side, seemingly unable to grasp the door handle. '_What are you waiting for? You've come this far, so go in there and see your husband. Are you a Gryffindor or not?'_ Hermione summoned all of her courage and turned the knob.

The sight that greeted her was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Ron was lying in bed with his eyes closed and the covers pulled up to his chest. One hand was resting on his very round stomach. She felt tears of joy filling her eyes at the sight of him. He looked as if his stomach contained an overly inflated beach ball that was on the verge of bursting. Ginny had said this would occur, but seeing him this way was somewhat of a shock. '_Ginny may have to take the baby sooner than expected. I don't think he can last another couple of weeks.'_ Seeing him confirmed in her heart that she had made the right choice by coming back. Even if he didn't forgive her right away, she would do everything she could to make it up to him.

Upon hearing the door open and someone walk in, Ron awoke from the light doze he had fallen into. He expected to see his mum or sister there, but instead couldn't believe his eyes. Hermione was standing there, just a few feet away, and she had never looked more beautiful than she had at that moment.

"Hi," was all she could manage to say.

"Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Why…how…when…" Ron tried, but couldn't seem to put his thoughts together at the moment.

Hermione smiled at him, and he knew that his mother was right. Things have a way of working out. He reached out his hand to her, and she closed the gap quickly. She rushed to his side and hugged him tightly. She felt so good in his arms, like she was made to fit there.

"Please, I have to know. Why did you leave?"

The tears were flowing freely now. "Oh, Ron. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. That's why I left. I didn't want to keep hurting you."

"That doesn't make any sense, Hermione." His voice was even, but she could hear the pain in it. "Don't you see that your leaving hurt more than anything? I thought I had lost you for good."

Hermione looked into his eyes, and lovingly stroked his face. "I don't know if I can explain this so that you'll understand. I was hurting so much myself, and I blamed myself for everything that happened. If I had just believed you about Sam, then maybe I could have prevented what happened. I was such a fool, and I was filled with so much self-loathing. How could I have let you down so badly when I'm supposed to be protecting you and our child? My heart broke every time I looked into your eyes and saw the pain, knowing that I had been part of the cause. I didn't deserve your love, and I thought that by staying I would continue to let you down. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I realized that my self pity was insignificant compared to what you're going through. I want to be here for you and our child, if you let me."

They were both crying now. Hermione wiped his tears away with her thumb, and then swiped at her own. "Don't be daft. I need you. I love you. The last couple of weeks have been torture without you. My family has been great, but I've missed you terribly. Please don't leave me again. I don't think my heart can take it."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm done hurting you, Ron. I never want to be the cause of your pain again."

Hermione crawled into bed and snuggled next to her husband, and placed a gentle hand on top of his stomach. "You really are insane, you know that? You aren't to blame for what happened. It was a tragedy, but you couldn't have prevented it. You didn't do anything wrong, other than leaving. And I guess you're entitled to screw-up every once in a while. Just promise me that you won't do it too often. This family can't take two screw-ups. That's my job."

They spent the next couple of hours lying in bed, catching up on all that had happened. Hermione told Ron all about New York, and promised to take him and the baby there someday. Ron filled Hermione in on all his aches and pains, and she spent a good deal of time rubbing his back to ease his backache. Hermione's hand rarely left Ron's stomach, and marveled at every movement she felt beneath her palm. Ginny had brought up a tray of food, and after hugging her sister-in-law and welcoming her home, had left the couple in peace to sort everything out.

Hermione had just drifted off near dawn when she was awoken by a moan. She rolled over to comfort Ron during his nightmare. She brushed his damp fringe from his forehead, and realized that he wasn't asleep.

"Ron, what is it?"

"It hurts," he said through gritted teeth. He was curled up in the fetal position with both of his arms wrapped around him.

"Is it your back again?"

"No, it's my stomach. Something's wrong."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock, and the icy fingers of fear gripped her heart. She did the first thing that came to mind.

"MOLLY! COME QUICK," she screamed at the top of her lungs.

A/N: First of all, I need to apologize for this taking so long. I've changed jobs since my last update, and it's taking a lot more of my time. On top of that, my muse left me for a while, making this my hardest chapter to write. Please let me know what you think. Also, because this took so long and I wanted to at least get this published before the end of the year, it has not been Beta-read. Thank you to everyone that's still reading this story after all this time. Only two more chapters to go now. Hopefully it' won't take me nearly as long to get them finished as it did for this chapter.

The title of the chapter comes from the song by Crowded House on their Recurring Dream album. One more thing – if you like good Ron angst stories, I've got a couple of recommendations for you; Surviving by scribhneoir, Eternal Sunshine of the Scourgified Mind, and Lost In Parasomnia by Solstice Muse. They are all wonderful and I highly recommend them. You can find the link to them on my favorites page. From this point forward, I'll be sending replies to your reviews via fanfiction (if you logged in) in order to keep my author notes shorter than the actual story. I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year.


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